Author Archives: Growing India

INDORE, 25 MAY

India’s cleanest city Indore is parched. Desperate residents took to the streets to protest the water crisis even as mercury hit 41°C on Monday. The protests, which have been ongoing for days now, even saw a Congress councillor prostrate before police officials pleading for water. The protests witnessed peak irony when police brought water canons to disperse the protesters.

Sunday saw residents block many roads to protests against the municipal corporation. They say taps as well as bore-wells have run dry, even as the government boasts about making Indore a “Water Plus City” under Swachh Survekshan 2021. This prestigious certification is awarded by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to cities that successfully treat and reuse all wastewater before releasing it into the environment.

A viral video shows Congress Councilor for Ward 75, Raju Bhadoria, fall at the feet of officials and plead: “Sir, give us water, else people will die.” Angry residents sang “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” while carrying empty vessels to protest.

A MOMENT OF PRIDE

NEW DELHI, 25 MAY

President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Padma Vibhushan on actor Dharmendra posthumously and classical musician N Rajam at a Civil Investiture Ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Monday.

As the name of Dharmendra’s wife Hema Malini, a BJP MP, was announced for his exceptional service in the field of art, their daughter Ahana Deol, sitting in the audience, broke down in tears.

Rajam was honoured for her work in Indian classical music, especially for revolutionising violin via ‘Gayaki Ang’ style that replicates vocal music on the instrument.

Murmu conferred the Padma Bhushan on Bhagat Singh Koshyari, former Uttarakhand CM; Shatavadhani R Ganesh, acclaimed polymath who revived the classical Indian art form ‘Avadhana’; Uday Suresh Kumar Kotak, founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank; and gastroenterologist Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy.

She also gave the award posthumously on ad guru Piyush Pandey and former parliamentarian Vijay Kumar Malhotra. Pandey’s wife and Malhotra’s son received the awards.

For 2026, the President has approved conferment of 131 Padma Awards, five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri.

At Monday’ event, she conferred two Padma Vibhushan, six Padma Bhushan and 58 Padma Shri. The remaining awardees will be conferred in the second round of the ceremony later, sources said.

Indian women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar, actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, para athlete Praveen Kumar and former CRPF director general K Vijay Kumar received the Padma Shri.

JAIPUR, 25 MAY

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Jaipur on Monday with his family as part of his India visit, leading to heightened security and temporary traffic restrictions.

Authorities halted movement along the 19-km route from Jaipur Airport to Amer Fort due to VVIP arrangements. Rubio is scheduled to visit Amer Fort, City Palace and possibly Elephant Village. Amer Fort remained closed to tourists for several hours, while elaborate preparations, including traditional Rajasthani folk performances, were organised to welcome him. Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari is expected to receive him. Security has been intensified at tourist sites and Rambagh Palace Hotel, where Rubio is likely staying, before departing for New Delhi Tuesday morning.

Middle class to suffer the most as petrol tops Rs 100 across cities, diesel nears Rs 100

NEW DELHI, 25 MAY

Petrol and diesel prices were hiked on Monday for the fourth time in 11 days, push-ing petrol prices above Rs 100 per litre across most major cities and deepening concerns over the impact on mid-dle-class households already grappling with rising living costs.

Petrol prices were increased by Rs 2.61 per litre and diesel by Rs 2.71, taking the cumula-tive hike since May 15 to near-ly Rs 7.5 per litre. In Delhi, petrol now costs Rs 102.12 per litre, while diesel has risen to Rs 95.20 per litre.

The first round of hikes on 15 May came shortly after BJP secured victories in three of five state and Union Territory elections, including West Bengal.

Following Monday’s revi-sion, petrol prices climbed to Rs 111.21 per litre in Mumbai, Rs 113.51 in Kolkata and Rs 107.77 in Chennai. Diesel pric-es in the three metros rose to Rs 97.83, Rs 99.82 and Rs 99.55 per litre respectively.

The repeated hikes are expected to hit middle-class

Motorists queue up to refuel their two-wheelers at a petrol bunk in Chennai

families hardest, as rising fuel costs are likely to push up transportation fares, food prices, delivery charges and household expenses.

The increase also comes at a time when domestic LPG cyl-inder prices have risen by Rs 60 since mid-May, while CNG prices have gone up by Rs 4 per kg, adding further pres-sure on household budgets.

The hikes were triggered by prolonged volatility in global crude oil markets following the Iran conflict and disrup-tions in the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route.

Petroleum Ministry Joint Secretary Sujata Sharma said losses had narrowed to around Rs 600 crore per day from Rs 1,000 crore before 15 May. However, she did not explain why LPG losses, which are supposed to be com-pensated through government subsidies, were being includ-ed in calculations used to jus-tify fuel price hikes.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the govern-ment of increasing prices in phases after elections ended. “Petrol and diesel prices are being increased in instalments so that people’s pockets are quietly picked,” he said.

FM hits out at critics for peddling pessimism

NEW DELHI, 25 MAY

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday criticised “naysay-ers” who claim India’s econo-my is “crumbling” amid Iran war.

She said a cynical and pessimistic narra-tive was being created, with critics forgetting the “good being done by common people”, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s austerity appeals. She warned that India cannot afford fear-mongering and stressed the need to instil confidence through words and actions.

‘Govt lost Rs 1 lakh cr’

On fuel pricing, Sitharaman said the government had fore-gone over Rs 1 lakh crore annually through excise duty cuts on petrol and diesel to shield consumers from infla-tion triggered by the West Asia conflict. She defended price hikes, saying earlier steps prevented Rs 10 increase at a time.

“The increases now are coming from oil marketing companies (OMCs) because they are the ones procuring (raw material crude oil) and selling (fin-ished product – fuel),” Sitharaman said on the sidelines of the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council export awards event. When asked if the RBI’s dividend of Rs 2.87 lakh crore aligned with the government’s expectations, especially given the current need for support, the minister stated that the calculations fol-low a clear formulation.

>>>More on Page 5

NEW DELHI, 25 MAY

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday criticised “naysayers” who claim India’s economy is “crumbling” amid Iran war.

She said a cynical and pessimistic narrative was being created, with critics forgetting the “good being done by common people”, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s austerity appeals. She warned that India cannot afford fear-mongering and stressed the need to instil confidence through words and actions.

cuts on petrol and diesel to shield consumers from inflation triggered by the West Asia conflict. She defended price hikes, saying earlier steps prevented Rs 10 increase at a time.

“The increases now are coming from oil marketing companies (OMCs) because they are the ones procuring (raw material crude oil) and selling (finished product – fuel),” Sitharaman said on the sidelines of the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council export awards event.

‘Govt lost Rs 1 lakh cr’

On fuel pricing, Sitharaman said the government had foregone over Rs 1 lakh crore annually through excise duty.

When asked if the RBI’s dividend of Rs 2.87 lakh crore aligned with the government’s expectations, especially given the current need for support, the minister stated that the calculations follow a clear formulation.

>>>More on Page 5

NEW DELHI, 25 MAY

The Supreme Court on Monday stressed that girls should not give up education just because sanitary napkins and functional, gender-segregated toilets are not available at schools and asked the Centre to ensure that its directions regarding this are complied with.

The SC’s observation came after the Centre said its 30 January judgement directing authorities to provide free sanitary napkins to girls and functional, gender-segregated toilets at schools has led to galvanisation of efforts in all states and UTs.

“Now, it is for you to make the most of it and see that as far as possible, the benefits are extended in terms of our judgment,” the bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan told Additional Solicitor General Archana Pathak Dave, who was appearing for the Centre.

In the landmark judgment delivered on 30 January to ensure gender justice and educational equity, the SC had directed all states and UTs to provide free oxo-bio-degradable sanitary napkins to girl students and functional, gender-segregated toilets for all students at schools. It had issued a slew of directions to all states and UTs to ensure that these facilities were provided in schools irrespective of whether they were govern-ment-run, aided or private.

NEW DELHI, 25 MAY

It’s sad that the NTA has not learnt lessons from the earlier NEET paper leak, the Supreme Court said on Monday as it sought the response of the Centre, the NTA and the CBI on pleas for replacing the testing agency with a robust, autonomous body to conduct medical entrance exams.

Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe directed that a copy of the petitions be served to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and asked the NTA to file an affidavit by Thursday regarding compliance of directions issued by the court in 2024.

“The matter came to this court earlier also. There was a monitoring committee which made some recommendations, and they were accepted. We want the NTA to file an affidavit on the steps taken for implementing the recommendations of the committee,” the bench said.

The SC, which issued a notice on a plea filed by the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), through lawyer Tanvi Dubey, said it is tagging all matters together.

It directed the committee headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan for over-hauling the NTA to detail the steps taken to comply with its directions.

All parties were directed to file their responses within three days by the court, which listed the matter for hearing on Friday.

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JAIPUR, 25 MAY

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Monday launched the ‘Vande Ganga Jal Sanrakshan-Jan Abhiyan 2026’ from Bisalpur Dam in Tonk on the occasion of Ganga Dashami, emphasising the importance of public participation in water conservation.

The statewide campaign will run from May 25 to June 5 and include awareness and conservation activities at village level across Rajasthan.

The Chief Minister performed Jal Pujan at Bisalpur Dam and offered prayers for abundant rainfall, prosperity and well-being of the people.

Addressing the gathering, Sharma said Mother Ganga is considered a symbol of life and highlighted the need to conserve water resources.

He urged citizens, along with MPs, MLAs and public representatives, to actively support the campaign.

During his visit, Sharma became the first Rajasthan Chief Minister to inspect the dam’s SCADA system, which remotely monitors and manages dam operations.

He directed officials to improve infrastructure around Bisalpur Dam, strengthen rainwater harvesting, recharge the Banas River and construct additional anicuts where required.

The campaign will include cleaning of ponds, wells and stepwells, plantation drives, Jal Chaupal programmes, awareness rallies and voluntary labour activities.

Several new water conservation projects will also be inaugurated during the campaign period.

NEW DELHI, 25 MAY

A 25-year-old man allegedly killed his 10-month-old daughter in Delhi’s Bhalswa Dairy area, police said on Monday, citing financial distress as the motive. The accused, identified as Deepak, allegedly strangled the infant, dumped her body in a septic tank, and later fabricated a kidnapping story to mislead investigators.

According to police, Deepak drugged his wife and elder daughter on Saturday night by lacing their food or drink with an intoxicating substance before committing the crime. He later claimed the child had been kidnapped when he stepped out to buy milk and biscuits on Sunday morning. However, CCTV footage failed to support his account, and he eventually confessed during interrogation, leading to the recovery of the body.

Separately, reports note that raising a child in India involves significant financial planning, with average monthly costs estimated at around Rs 18,000, totalling Rs 7-8 lakh in the first five years. Expenses include food, infant formula, cereals, diapers, and hygiene essentials. Diapers alone may cost Rs 2,000-Rs 5,000 per month, while milk, formula, and baby care products add further recurring costs.

MUMBAI, 25 MAY

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) on Monday said its over four lakh members would not work with Ranveer Singh following his last-minute exit from Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Don 3’ which has been in production for three years.

Akhtar and his partner Ritesh Sidhwani had filed a complaint against Singh before the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), which then referred the matter to FWICE.

‘Don 3’ was yet to begin shooting. The producers claim that more than Rs 45 crore had already been spent in the pre-production phase.

“We wrote a letter to you but there was no reply so no member from FWICE will work with you,” FWICE honorary general secretary Ashok Dubey said.

Ashoke Pandit, chief advisor to FWICE said Singh withdrew from the film three weeks before shooting was scheduled to begin.