India

Jaipur, Aug 6 (IANS) Prominent young leader Naresh Meena, who had recently contested the Anta Assembly bypoll as an Independent candidate, surrendered at the Nagarfort Police Station on Thursday in connection with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) slapping case, police said.

He was subsequently produced before the SC/ST Court in Rajasthan's Tonk, which remanded him to judicial custody and sent him to jail.

Meena is the prime accused in the violence that erupted in Samravata village during the Deoli-Uniyara Assembly by-election.

He was granted conditional bail by the Rajasthan High Court on July 14, 2025, after spending nearly eight months in jail.

Under the bail conditions, Meena was prohibited from participating in protests, demonstrations, public receptions, or felicitation events.

According to the police, he allegedly violated these conditions by taking part in a protest following the deaths of schoolchildren in the Piplodi school building roof collapse in Jhalawar district.

Based on the alleged violation, Nagarfort Police filed a petition seeking cancellation of his bail.

The court accepted the plea and directed Meena to surrender by August 6, after which he complied with the order.

The Samravata violence case, involving around 60 accused persons, including Naresh Meena, is currently under trial.

The remaining accused are out on bail.

In a separate development, Nagarfort Police have initiated the process of collecting details of Naresh Meena's movable and immovable assets following directions from the special court.

As part of the process, police have written to the Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat Nayagaon (also known as Nanvata) in Mothpur tehsil of Baran district, seeking complete details of Meena's assets for submission before the court.

The Tonk district administration remained on high alert ahead of Meena's surrender, anticipating the possibility of supporters gathering at the police station.

To maintain law and order, District Collector Tina Dabi imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in Tonk city, Deoli, and the Uniyara area.

The case stems from the Deoli-Uniyara Assembly by-election held on November 13, 2024, when residents of Samravata village boycotted voting to demand the village's inclusion in the Uniyara subdivision.

Naresh Meena, who was contesting the election as an independent candidate, joined the protest.

Police allege that during the demonstration, Meena slapped SDM Amit Chaudhary while objecting to the administration's efforts to facilitate voting by three individuals.

Meena was arrested from the protest site on November 14, 2024, and was sent to judicial custody the following day after being produced before the court.

The case remains under trial.

--IANS

arc/khz

Chandigarh, Aug 6 (IANS) Punjab’s debt servicing cost, interest plus principal repayment, is in the range of about Rs 42,481 crore, or "more than 23 per cent of the state revenues", Congress MP Manish Tewari said on Thursday.

"It means for every one rupee of revenue generation by Punjab 23 paisa go towards only debt servicing -- the revenue expenditure minus debt servicing is at 71.4 per cent", the three-time Member of Parliament and former Union Minister Information and Broadcasting wrote on X

"What is then left for Capital Expenditure -- development expenditure that creates capital assets 5.6 per cent? Is this a sustainable model?” said Tewari, who attended the Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting to review the long-term public finance and debt at the Centre and the states.

"The politicians of Punjab should really think hard?".

The Congress lawmaker from Chandigarh further wrote: “Probably you have not looked at the debt to GDP and debt to GDSP ratio’s of Central and state governments because of COVID-19 between FY 2019 -2020 and 2022-23."

"One number would suffice fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP for the Union Government went up from 4.6 per cent to 9.2 per cent. In Punjab also @INCPunjab government also had to deal with COVID-19 that is why Punjab’s debt to GSDP went up from 36.2 per cent in 2019 -20 to 41.3 per cent it then moderated after that marginally before going up to 39.9 per cent in 2024-25."

A day earlier, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Kewal Singh Dhillon slammed the Aam Aadmi Party government, alleging the state was witnessing an "administrative emergency" due to its failure to fulfil financial commitments made to government employees.

Dhillon said that before coming to power, the AAP had made several promises to employees, assuring them that their long-pending issues would be resolved.

However, after assuming office, the government allegedly failed to honour those commitments, leaving employees with no option but to resort to protests and strikes.

Questioning the government’s functioning, Dhillon asked how essential public services could continue uninterrupted when employees from so many critical departments were on strike. He said the government’s failure to engage with employees and address their grievances had pushed the state’s administrative machinery towards paralysis. He remarked that citizens were being forced to run from one government office to another for even routine work. Healthcare, education, power-related services and several essential administrative functions had been severely disrupted, he alleged.

--IANS

vg/vd

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday hit back at senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh over his criticism of the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, saying he should refrain from "spreading a canard" about the proposed changes related to UPI transactions.

Responding to Ramesh's allegations, FM Sitharaman clarified that Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) applies only to merchants and not to end users or customers.

The minister said the move would enable banks and fintech companies to invest more in infrastructure, innovation and security, with all UPI users ultimately benefiting from these investments.

"Before spreading a canard, Jairam Ramesh, please consider this:

1. Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) applies only on the merchants and not on the end users/customers. It will support the Banks & Fintech to invest more on infrastructure, innovation & security. All users of UPI will reap the benefits of this investment," FM Sitharaman stated.

FM Sitharaman also criticised the Congress for raising the issue outside Parliament instead of debating it during the legislative process. The minister said the matter could have been discussed on the floor of the House if the party had engaged constructively when the Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

"All this could have been discussed on the floor of the House if your party engages constructively in Parliament when the Bill was/is tabled," FM Sitharaman added.

Earlier, Jairam Ramesh had alleged that the proposed amendment removes the statutory guarantee that has kept UPI transactions free of charges, thereby opening the door for the future imposition of MDR on digital payments. He claimed that any such levy would ultimately be passed on to ordinary users.

The Congress leader also rejected the government's argument that charging MDR is necessary to make UPI financially sustainable.

He argued that the Reserve Bank of India has adequate financial resources to support the country's digital payments infrastructure without imposing any additional burden on merchants or consumers, citing the RBI's surplus transfer of Rs 2.86 lakh crore to the Centre in 2025-26.

--IANS

pk

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) The target of making India a developed country by 2047 was achievable, but it would require rapid reforms, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri said on Thursday.

Addressing an event organised by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Lahiri said the country would have to achieve a more than 6-fold jump in its per capita income from $2,813 in 2026 to around $18,000 in 2047, which needs an average annual nominal growth of 9.25 per cent for 21 years.

"Others have done it, so can India, but it needs support through rapid reforms," Lahiri said while citing the examples of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China, which have achieved such high growth levels on their way to becoming fully developed economies.

The NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman pointed out that India's gross fixed capital formation has stayed below 30 per cent of GDP for most years, compared with 35 per cent or more recorded by East Asian countries. However, India was using capital efficiently, with an incremental capital output ratio (ICOR) of 4.5 to 5, compared with China, he added.

Lahiri further stated that growth depends on absorptive capacity. "An economy does not grow so much because it does not invest enough, but because its dynamism is not strong enough to enable it to apply more investment efficiently," he observed.

He said that education, health, infrastructure and entrepreneurship, along with administrative reforms, law and order, and a faster justice system, were important long-term growth priorities for India.

Lahiri also said that the savings rate in the Indian economy peaked at 37 per cent in 2007, slipped to 29 per cent in 2020 and recovered to 35 per cent in 2025, but has consistently trailed China by 10 to 15 percentage points. He attributed the shortfall to a persistent current account deficit of $16.5 billion in 2025, contrasting it with surpluses in China, South Korea, and Singapore, and said FDI investment inflows had remained limited relative to those economies.

He identified factor market imperfections in land and capital as major drawbacks and underscored the need for facilitating the easing of doing business at the grassroots level in order to spur investment.

--IANS

sps/vd

Chandigarh, Aug 6 (IANS) Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Thursday categorically dismissed speculation regarding the structural safety of the Bhakhra Dam, asserting the dam is completely safe and there is absolutely no reason for panic.

Speaking during Zero Hour in the Assembly, the Cabinet Minister said that misleading reports had created unnecessary fear among the public and clarified that the dam’s temporary movement is an integral part of its engineering design.

Referring to media reports claiming that the Bhakhra Dam had tilted, Goyal said the misleading reports had created unnecessary panic among the people of Punjab. He clarified that the dam remained one of the world's finest engineering marvels and has earned global appreciation, with expert teams from countries, including the US and Canada, acknowledging its robust design and engineering standards.

The minister explained that the dam is designed to experience slight movement under increased water pressure and return to its original position once the pressure recedes. He said the reported movement of merely 1.03 inches falls well within the engineering design parameters of the dam. Between 1995 and 2025, such movement was recorded 15 times and on every occasion the structure reverted to its normal position without any safety concerns.

Goyal said the recent movement observed in 2025 was also part of the dam's normal structural behaviour and did not indicate any structural weakness or danger. He reiterated that the dam is completely safe.

Addressing concerns regarding silt accumulation, the minister clarified that the deposited silt is located nearly 12 km upstream of the dam wall and has no connection with the structural stability of the dam.

Goyal acknowledged that nearly 26 per cent silt accumulation has reduced the storage capacity of the reservoir but stressed that it has no bearing on the dam's safety. He said the responsibility for desilting rests with the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and the Union Government.

“Punjab has consistently raised the issue of desilting during meetings of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).” He informed the House that the state government had recently written to the BBMB and the Union Government, urging them to undertake desilting operations at the earliest, as it falls within their responsibility.

The minister said the removal of silt would restore the reservoir's storage capacity and enhance water availability.

--IANS

vg/uk

Guwahati, Aug 6 (IANS) Assam Police seized 74 cartons of illegally transported foreign liquor concealed inside a cargo truck during a routine checking operation at the Kalainchhara Toll Gate police checkpoint on National Highway-6 in the Cachar district, and arrested three persons in connection with the smuggling attempt, officials said on Thursday.

Police said the contraband was hidden behind consignments of legitimate goods loaded in the truck in an apparent bid to evade detection.

The three arrested have been identified as Sandhyaram Debbarma, Katarajay Debbarma and Deniya Reng, all residents of Tripura. They have been taken into custody for further interrogation.

According to police officials, the truck was intercepted during routine vehicle checking at the naka checkpoint near the Kalainchhara Toll Gate in Cachar district.

Suspicious movement of the vehicle prompted personnel on duty to carry out a detailed search. During the inspection, officers discovered 74 cartons of foreign liquor concealed behind other goods being transported in the vehicle. The entire consignment, along with the truck used for transporting it, was seized.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the liquor consignment was allegedly being transported from Meghalaya to Mizoram through Assam. Police suspect that the liquor was being smuggled illegally by concealing it behind legitimate cargo to avoid scrutiny at checkpoints.

Officials estimated the market value of the seized liquor to be several lakh rupees. The exact quantity and value of the consignment are being verified as part of the investigation.

A case has been registered, and investigators are trying to ascertain the source of the liquor, its intended destination, and whether the accused were part of a larger interstate smuggling network.

Police said further interrogation of the arrested persons is underway to identify other individuals involved in the racket and to trace the supply chain behind the illegal transportation of foreign liquor.

The seizure is part of intensified enforcement measures by Assam Police against the illegal movement of liquor and other contraband through the state's highways, particularly along interstate routes frequently used for smuggling activities.

--IANS

tdr/uk

Kannur (Kerala), Aug 6 (IANS) Fresh political tensions have surfaced in Payyannur with CPI-M Kannur district Secretary K.K. Ragesh making combative remarks amid an escalating confrontation with independent MLA V. Kunhikrishnan, underlining the strain within the party following a string of electoral setbacks in what was once considered its impregnable northern Kerala stronghold.

Addressing party workers in Payyannur, Ragesh rejected allegations linking the CPI-M to the burning of a shrimp shed belonging to a supporter of Kunhikrishnan.

During the speech, however, he declared that the party had the strength not only to remove the shed but also everything beneath it, a remark that has drawn sharp criticism from a few quarters.

Kunhikrishnan hit back, accusing the CPI-M of attempting to engineer unrest in the constituency.

He claimed that 22 criminal cases have been registered in connection with recent incidents in Payyannur, of which 21 relate to attacks against him and his supporters, while only one has been registered against CPI-M workers.

The latest war of words comes against the backdrop of an unprecedented political reversal for the CPI-M in Kannur.

In the recent local body elections, the party lost two of its strongest bastions -- Payyannur and Taliparamba -- to former party leaders who contested as rebels with the backing of the Congress-led UDF.

In Taliparamba, veteran leader T.K. Govindan defeated the wife of CPI-M state Secretary M.V. Govindan, while in Payyannur, Kunhikrishnan emerged victorious after breaking ranks with the party, trouncing sitting CPI-M legislator T.I.Madhusoodhan.

The reverses followed the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front's crushing defeat in the Assembly elections, where its strength fell from 99 seats to 35 in the 140-member Kerala Assembly.

The twin electoral setbacks have triggered intense introspection within the party, with the developments in Kannur widely seen as reflecting the continuing political aftershocks of those losses.

--IANS

sg/vd

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening received a phone call from his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, during which both leaders not only reviewed progress on various aspects of the India-Israel Special Strategic Partnership, but also discussed the current situation in West Asia.

"Received a phone call from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We reviewed progress on various aspects of the India-Israel Special Strategic Partnership which continues to grow from strength-to-strength. We also exchanged views on the current situation in West Asia," PM Modi posted on X after the phone call.

According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), during their conversation, the two leaders reviewed sustained progress in India-Israel Special Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the bilateral cooperation across various sectors for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

"The two leaders agreed to remain in touch," the PMO stated.

In February, Prime Minister Modi, accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising of senior ministers and officials, paid a two-day State Visit to Israel on the invitation of Netanyahu.

During the visit, both leaders recalled PM Modi's historic visit to Israel in 2017 and Netanyahu's visit to India in 2018, which together laid the foundation for a new era of partnership and collaboration.

They noted the "immense progress" made in the India-Israel bilateral relationship across diverse domains, including emerging technologies, cyber, agriculture, water management, health, entrepreneurship, defence, security, and more. PM Modi and Netanyahu also agreed and decided to elevate the Strategic Partnership to a new level – 'A Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity'.

"The Prime Ministers reaffirmed their shared vision for a robust special strategic partnership rooted in mutual aspirations for peace, security and prosperity through technological innovations and entrepreneurship. The leaders acknowledged that Indian and Israeli capabilities complement each other perfectly - Israel is a global powerhouse of technology and innovation, India serves as a hub of talent, manufacturing excellence and entrepreneurial energy.

"The Prime Ministers affirmed their commitment to integrating India's and Israel's advancements in AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, agriculture and water management, defence platforms, and space exploration. This partnership strengthens India's vision of an ‘Atmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat 2047’, aims to spark the next wave of technological transformation and shared progress of both countries," the India-Israel Joint Statement issued on February 26 noted.

--IANS

/as

Patna, Aug 6 (IANS) In a major push to accelerate industrial development in Bihar, the state government on Thursday signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth around Rs 51,600 crore with several leading industrial groups from across the country.

The agreements were signed in the presence of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, with the state government asserting that the proposed investments will spur large-scale industrialisation and generate substantial employment opportunities in the state.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Choudhary said the state government is committed to converting these investment proposals into projects on the ground at the earliest.

He added that Bihar aims to emerge as a major steel manufacturing hub and that the state government will actively promote investments in the steel and metal industries.

He added that equal emphasis will be placed on expanding sectors such as textiles, nuclear energy, food processing, and pharmaceuticals.

According to an official government statement, companies signing investment agreements with several leading private companies in above sectors.

Besides these, a private firm has proposed investment in the nuclear energy sector, while several other companies have committed investments in the textile and allied industries.

Highlighting the importance of the textile sector, Chief Minister Choudhary noted that it is labour-intensive and has the potential to generate large-scale employment within Bihar.

He added that investments in clean and nuclear energy would help meet the state's future energy requirements, while growth in the food processing sector would improve market access for farmers and strengthen the rural economy.

The Chief Minister also reviewed preparations for Bihar Business Connect-2026, describing it as a key platform to connect domestic and international investors with Bihar's emerging industrial opportunities.

Emphasising the slogan "Build and Believe in Bihar", Samrat Choudhary said the state government is working in mission mode to strengthen investor confidence and simplify the process of establishing industries.

The event was attended by several senior government officials, including Deputy Chief Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Industries Minister Shreyasi Singh, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Deepak Kumar, Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit, the Development Commissioner, and other senior administrative officers.

--IANS

ajk/khz

Patna, Aug 6 (IANS) In the wake of its poor performance in the Bankipur Assembly by-election, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has dissolved all of its organisational units across Bihar with immediate effect.

The decision was announced through an office order issued on August 6, 2026, by Bihar RJD State president Mangni Lal Mandal.

According to the order, the decision was taken after consultations with RJD National Working President Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

The party has also revoked its earlier office order (Reference No. 101, dated January 22, 2025).

The order states that all organisational committees at the district, block, and panchayat levels, along with the units of various party cells and affiliated organisations throughout Bihar, stand dissolved with immediate effect.

The RJD leadership said the restructuring exercise is aimed at strengthening the party organisation and that the process of constituting new committees at all levels will begin shortly.

A new organisational team will be formed under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav.

The move comes days after the Bankipur Assembly by-election, the results of which were declared on August 3.

RJD candidate Rekha Gupta finished third in the contest and failed to retain her security deposit, securing only 14,085 votes.

The by-election was won by Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor, who defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by a margin of 18,953 votes.

Contesting his first election, Prashant Kishor registered a decisive victory in what had long been considered a BJP stronghold.

Following Prashant Kishor's victory, there was a backlash among party leaders in the RJD.

Recently, Bhai Virendra, the senior leader and MLA from Maner, demanded action against leaders close to Tejashwi Yadav. He especially targeted state spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav.

The dissolution of all organisational units signals a major restructuring exercise within the RJD as it seeks to reassess its strategy and strengthen its grassroots organisation ahead of future political contests.

--IANS

ajk/uk