Page 14 - India

Education must not become privilege for a few, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that India needs an education system that reflects the rich diversity of the country and should not become a "privilege for a few", saying it is the very foundation of freedom. Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, also said India needs to build an alternative manufacturing system and a partnership with the US or Peru could be the way forward. In an interaction with students at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and the University of Chile, the Congress leader held an "insightful dialogue" focused on education, democracy and geopolitics. "India needs to build an alternative manufacturing system that thrives in a democratic setup. Thus, a partnership with Peru or the US could be the way forward," the Congress quoted Gandhi on its official X handle, while sharing a video of his conversation with students in South America. "When it comes to education, it begins with curiosity and the freedom to think openly and ask questions witho

Bengal has become safe haven for criminals, not safe for women: CPI(M)

The CPI(M) on Sunday claimed that West Bengal has become a safe haven for criminals, maintaining that the state is not anymore safe for women. "In West Bengal, criminals are safe and not women," CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said that female boarders, especially those from outside the state, should follow hostel rules and not venture out late at night. Banerjee made the averment after a student of a private medical college in Durgapur, hailing from Odisha, was allegedly gang-raped on Friday night when she went out with a friend for dinner. Chakraborty said Banerjee, by asking female students not to venture out at night, has made it apparent that West Bengal is "not safe for women". "By asking women students not to venture out at night, the chief minister has made it clear that the propaganda that Kolkata is the safest city, or Durgapur is a safe city, is not true," Chakraborty, a former CPI(M) Lok Sabha

9 in 10 Indians ready to pay more for certified quality healthcare: Report

Around 83 per cent of patients in India seek objective, accessible information to guide their healthcare choices, and nearly 90 per cent are willing to pay more for certified quality, as per a report by FICCI and EY-Parthenon. While India's healthcare efficiency outperforms global peers, structural and financial pressures reinforce the need for a national framework that sets clear minimum quality standards, enabling patients to make informed healthcare choices, the report, titled 'True Accountable Care: Maximizing Healthcare Delivery Impact, Efficiently', stated. The report, based on research across 250 hospitals in 40 cities with 75,000 beds, surveys of over 1,000 patients and 100-plus clinicians, consultation with CXOs and investors, stated that bed per capita capacity has doubled since 2000 in India. The country still has one of the lowest hospital bed densities globally and a dual payor-provider fragmentation challenge with just 25-30 beds per hospital compared to over 100 ...

India, Korea to explore joint initiatives in electronics and EV components

India and Korea have agreed to explore joint initiatives in electronics and electric vehicle (EV) components, and digital supply chains, the commerce ministry said on Friday. It was discussed between the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada and his Korean counterpart Yeo Han-Koo. "In discussions...the focus areas included collaboration in manufacturing, digital technologies and clean technologies. The two sides agreed to explore joint initiatives in electronics, EV components, and trusted digital supply chains," it said. He also held bilateral meetings with ministers from Japan, South Africa, the Netherlands and discussed ways to boost trade and investments. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the G20 Trade and Investment Ministers' Meeting (TIMM) in Gqeberha, South Africa. In the discussions on the WTO (World Trade Organisation), Prasada called for the restoration of a fully functional, two-tier dispute settlement system with an operational appellate ...

MSMEs contribute 40% to India's production, exports: Shobha Karandlaje

Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shobha Karandlaje on Friday said the MSME sector is contributing 40 per cent to the country's total production volume and exports. Speaking after inaugurating the MSME Marketing Summit organised by NSIC (National Small Industries Corporation Ltd) and KASSIA (Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association) here, the minister said that MSMEs have been addressing the needs of all sectors, including agriculture, food, defence, space, and artificial intelligence. "The role of industries in the country's development is significant, especially, MSMEs are making substantial contribution to the nation's growth," she said. In order to strengthen the sector, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the Skill Training Division for the first time. It has been undertaking training programmes and schemes for women and youth to match the global skill standards, she was quoted as saying in an official statement. She als

UK PM in India, cough syrup deaths case, Bihar elections, Israel-Hamas peace deal & more

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai today. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the India-UK trade deal,

Chances of war with India are real, warns Pakistan's defence minister

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that "chances of war with India are real" and claimed that his country would achieve even bigger success in the case of any armed conflict in future. Asif made the remarks in an interview with Samaa TV on Tuesday, where the anchor asked him about the recent statements by the Indian political and military leaders. The minister said that there was a threat of armed confrontation and Pakistan was keeping its guard and watching the situation. Chances of war with India are real," Asif said in response to a question. He added that Pakistan would likely achieve more favourable results in the event of a war with India. "I do not want escalation, but the risks are real, and I am not denying that. If it comes to war, God willing, we will achieve a better result than before," Asif said. He said that Pakistan has more supporters and allies than it had six months ago, while claiming that India had even lost the support of the countries which

Keir Starmer visits India, PM Modi renews ‘Make in India’ pitch, Nobel Prize in Chemistry #newsinamin

British PM Keir Starmer, on his first visit to India since taking office, said the opportunities under the India-UK Free Trade Agreement are ‘unparalleled’ and the deal is a ‘launchpad’

WHO asks India if cough syrup linked to child deaths was exported

The children died in India over the past month after consuming cough medicine containing toxic diethylene glycol in quantities nearly 500 times the permissible limit, officials says

Watch: 1 GB wireless data in India costs less than a cup of tea, says PM Modi

1 GB wireless data in India costs less than a cup of tea; using tea as an item to explain something is an old habit of mine, says PM Modi at India Mobile Congress

India's metro boom hits a fare wall: Who decides what commuters pay?

As India's metro network races past 1,000 km, questions over fare setting, cost recovery, and the absence of an independent regulator reveal cracks beneath the country's shiny urban transport dream

Housing sales rise 1% in July-September across top 8 cities in India

India's eight major housing markets saw a nominal one per cent increase in sales during the July-September quarter, Knight Frank said on Tuesday, ruling out any signs of slowdown so far but contending that demand for residential properties might be reaching its peak. Real estate consultant Knight Frank India noted that the sales data for the current festive quarter would present a clear picture. Releasing its report on the Indian real estate market through a webinar, Knight Frank mentioned that housing sales across eight major cities rose 1 per cent annually to 87,603 units during the third quarter of the current 2025 calendar year, sustaining the momentum of high demand being seen post the COVID pandemic. Fall in mortgage rates, high economic growth and tax sops in the budget have helped in maintaining the sales momentum, the consultant said, adding that the impact of the increase in consumer confidence because of GST rates rationalisation from September 22 was yet to be seen in th

India-EU trade talks: Commerce Secretary to visit Brussels this week

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal will visit Brussels this week to meet European Commission Director General for Trade Sabine Weyand to give impetus to the ongoing negotiations on the proposed free trade agreement, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday here. The Commerce and Industry Minister said "very" good discussions are going on between the EU and India in Brussels. India is hoping to work together in a spirit of understanding each other's sensitivities so that the two sides can conclude an equitable, fair and balanced free trade agreement, he added. The minister is here on a two-day official visit. He is leading a business delegation to discuss ways to boost trade and investment ties between India and Qatar. "Once this round gets over, Commerce Secretary, Rajesh Agrawal Ji, will be going to Brussels to meet his counterpart, DG Sabine Weyand by the end of this week. After that, we will be working out what are the next steps," Goyal said. When asked about the December ..

'Our red lines must be respected': EAM S Jaishankar on India-US trade deal | Trump tariffs

Any trade deal between India and the U.S. has to respect New Delhi's "red lines" and efforts are underway to find a "landing ground"

Ethanol blending transforms sugar cooperatives' balance sheets: Amit Shah

Ethanol blending has transformed the balance sheets of sugar mills and India's sugar cooperatives sector has benefitted immensely after Narendra Modi became the prime minister, Union minister Amit Shah said on Sunday. He also said that the Centre, under PM Modi's leadership, will extend all possible assistance to farmers in Maharashtra who have suffered losses due to heavy rains in the state recently. The Union Minister for Home and Cooperation was addressing a farmers' rally after inaugurating the expanded capacity of Dr Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil Cooperative Sugar Factory in Maharashtra's Ahilyanagar district, which has increased its crushing capacity to 10,000 tonnes of sugarcane per day. He also unveiled statues of Dr Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil, a notable figure in the cooperative movement, and his son and former Union minister Dr Balasaheb Vikhe Patil. The sugar cooperative sector has benefitted immensely after Narendra Modi became the prime minister, he said, adding that sugar ...

JVs, tech tie-ups can help cut India's trade gap with Qatar: GTRI

Joint ventures in energy infrastructure, technology collaboration, and cross-border investments can help reduce India's trade deficit with Qatar, think tank GTRI said on Sunday. India's trade with Qatar stood at USD 14.15 billion in 2024-25. The trade relationship remains heavily skewed toward energy imports, with petroleum crude and gas products making up nearly 90 per cent of India's total imports from Qatar, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. India's exports to Qatar totalled USD 1.68 billion, while imports surged to USD 12.46 billion, producing a substantial trade deficit of USD 10.78 billion in the last fiscal. "The figures underscore the energy-centric nature of India's commerce with the Gulf nation, with hydrocarbons making up the bulk of inbound shipments," GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava said. Imports from Qatar were overwhelmingly composed of petroleum crude and gas products, amounting to USD 11.08 billion, about 88.9 per cent of the total imports. Key energ

India may procure additional batches of S-400 air defence systems

India is looking at procuring additional batches of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems from Russia as the weapons proved to be very effective during Operation Sindoor, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. It is learnt that the proposed procurement may figure in talks between New Delhi and Moscow when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India in December. In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning by the US that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions under the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Three squadrons have already been delivered. Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh did not give a direct reply when asked at a press conference if India was looking at buying additional batches of the weapon system. "Obviously, that has done good. So, there's a requirement to have more such (systems); the

India rejects Bangladesh claim of its role in Khagrachhari clashes

India on Friday trashed as "false and baseless" a senior Bangladeshi official's claim of its involvement in violent clashes in Bangladesh. Following the clashes at Khagrachhari district in Chittagong Hill Tracts in southwestern Bangladesh last week, de-facto home minister Jahangir Alam Chowdhury alleged that the unrest was being fuelled by India. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India categorically rejects these "false and baseless allegations". "The interim government, which is unable to maintain law and order in Bangladesh, has routinely sought to shift the blame elsewhere," he said. "It would do well to introspect and conduct serious investigations into the action of local extremists committing violence, arson and land grab against the minority communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts," he added. Jaiswal was responding to a question on Chowdhury's remarks during a weekly media briefing. There has been a sharp downturn in India-Bangladesh relations a

A-I 171 crash probe agency denies pilots' body request for representation

Pilots' grouping ALPA India on Friday said AAIB has declined the request to include its representative in the team probing the Air India plane crash in June that killed 260 people, citing government norms. Representatives of the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) India on Friday held a meeting with Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Director General GVG Yugandhar in the national capital. The discussion mainly revolved around having subject experts in aircraft accident investigations. After the meeting, ALPA India President Sam Thomas said there was not much discussion on the Air India plane crash due to the ongoing investigation. "AAIB expressed its inability to include pilots from ALPA as subject matter experts in the team probing the Air India plane crash, citing government norms," he told PTI. In one of the worst aircraft accidents in India, a total of 260 people, including 241 passengers, died after Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI 171 to London

India's power output growth slows in September as industrial momentum eases

Power output rose 3.2% year-on-year but fell short of August's 4% growth, marking the first monthly drop in three months, according to daily analysis of Grid India data