FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | Saturday, 30 August 2025 SPORTS PERSPECTIVE ‘Cong will make Bihar comeback’ BUSINESS WORLD Israel declares Gaza City a combat zone Reliance ties up with Meta, Google for AI venture BRIEFLY India, Japan strengthen ties with new partnership SC to hear Bihar SIR plea New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear on 1 September a plea by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) seeking an extension of the deadline for filing claims and objections under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. Justice Surya Kant, heading the Bench, fixed the matter for hearing on Monday after Advocate Prashant Bhushan mentioned the application. The plea sought a one-week extension of the 1 September cut-off for filing claims and objections in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state. SHAHID K ABBAS New Delhi, 29 August I ndia and Japan Friday, strengthened their special strategic and global partnership with a focus on cooperation in key areas such as investment, innovation, economic security, environment, technology, health, mobility, people-to-people exchanges, and state-prefecture partnerships. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Shigeru Ishiba, held a bilateral meeting in Tokyo, where they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the two nations. PM Modi is currently in Tokyo to attend the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba. "We have laid a strong foundation for a new and golden chapter in our special strategic and global partnership," PM Modi said during a joint press meet. "Today, our discussion was both productive and purposeful. We both agree that as two of the world's largest economies and vibrant democracies, our partnership is not only crucial for our countries but also for global peace and stability," PM Modi said. India and Japan aim to attract 10 trillion yen in investment from Japan to India over the next decade, with a focus on small and medium enterprises HM Amit Shah slams Congress over abusive remarks against PM, demands Rahul’s apology STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Guwahati, 29 August Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday strongly condemned the abusive remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during the Voter Adhikar Yatra of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Bihar’s Darbhanga, demanding an apology from the Congress leadership. Addressing the NDA Panchayat Pratinidhi Sammelan in Guwahati, Mr Shah alleged that the Congress was spreading a “culture of hatred” in Indian politics. “Congress leaders have committed the most condemnable act by using derogatory words against PM Modi’s mother during their so-called Ghuspaithiya Bachao Yatra. I condemn it. I urge Rahul Gandhi that if he has even a little bit of shame left, he must apologise to Modi ji, to his late mother, and to the people of this country,” Mr Shah said. The incident triggered a major political row ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, where both the ruling BJP-led NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc are locked in an aggressive campaign. A viral video circulating on social media shows Congress workers on a dais, with posters of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav in the background, using abusive language against the Prime Minister and his late mother. Following this, the BJP lodged an FIR in Patna, demanding accountability from Congress leaders. The remarks were widely condemned. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also stated X, calling the use of such language “extremely unbecoming” and urging political parties to maintain dignity in public discourse. Lok Sabha Oppsition leader Rahul Gandhi, however, in a cryptic response on X, wrote: “Truth and non-violence prevail, untruth and violence cannot stand before them. Beat and break, as much as you want to beat and break, we will continue to protect the truth and the Constitution. Satyameva Jayate.” Justice Alok Aradhe & Justice Vipul Pancholi sworn in as SC judges PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 29 August Amid a controversy, following Justice B.V. Nagarathna’s dissent over the out-of-turn elevation of Justice Vipul Pancholi as a Supreme Court judge, both Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Pancholi were on Friday sworn in as judges of the Supreme Court. They were administered the oath of the office by the Chief Justice of India, Justice B.R. Gavai. Justice Pancholi is in line to be elevated to the office of Chief Justice of India in October 2031. With the swearing in of both Justice Aradhe and Justice Pancholi, the Supreme Court will now function with its full sanctioned strength of 34 judges. Before their elevation to the JUSTICE PANCHOLI IS IN LINE TO BE ELEVATED TO THE OFFICE OF CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA IN OCTOBER 2031. HIS APPOINTMENT TO THE SUPREME COURT WAS ACCOMPANIED BY CONTROVERSY, AS HE HAD SUPERSEDED SEVERAL OTHER JUDGES Supreme Court, Justice Aradhe was the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, and Justice Pancholi was the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court. The Supreme Court collegium on 25 August, had recommended the elevation of Justice Aradhe and Justice Pancholi to the Supreme Court. However, Justice B.V. Nagarathna recorded her dissent on the name of Justice Pancholi, who, in the Page 16 Page 11 Page 9 Page 12 Still need to train a little bit: Neeraj Chopra seniority of High Court judges, stood at the 57th position. Besides Justice Nagarathna, other members of collegium are Chief Justice of India, Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, and Justice JK Maheshwari. In her dissent on the proposal to elevate Justice Pancholi to the Supreme Court, Justice Nagarathna had reportedly said that the appointment would not only be “counter-productive” to the administration of justice, but would also put the credibility of the Collegium system at stake. In her dissent note, Justice Nagarathna reportedly pointed out that Justice Pancholi ranks 57th among High Court judges, and that more senior judges across High Courts should be considered ahead of him. Man arrested for abusive remarks against PM’s mother in Bihar IMRAN MOJIB Patna, 29 August Bihar Police have arrested a man in Darbhanga for allegedly using abusive language against PM Modi’s late mother during Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra, triggering political outrage across the country. The accused, identified as Mohammad Rizvi, alias Raja, is a resident of Bhopura village in the Singhwada area of Darbhanga. A video clip of the incident went viral on social media on Wednesday, drawing sharp criticism from the BJP. and start-ups. The two countries will also enhance cooperation in areas like digital partnership, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors. “We aim to attract 10 trillion yen in investment from Japan to India over the next decade, with a focus on small and medium enterprises and start-ups,” PM Modi said. The ambitious goal is part of the growing partnership between the two nations, which also includes a Digital Partnership and AI Cooperation Initiative comprising collaboration in digital public infrastructure, digital talent development, and joint R&D in emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and semiconductors. Both nations agreed to strengthen their special strategic and global partnership with a focus on cooperation in key areas such as investment, innovation, economic security, environment, technology, health, mobility, people-topeople exchanges, and state-prefecture partnerships. • More reports on Pg 5 Can citizenship be presumed on basis of language spoken, SC asks AGENCIES CM welcomes court directive New Delhi, 29 August The Supreme Court on Friday questioned the presumption that Bengali-speaking persons are undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants, stressing that language alone cannot be a basis for treating someone to be a foreigner in India, A Bench of Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was hearing a plea against the alleged detention and deportation of Bengali-speaking labourers, including a pregnant woman who was reportedly sent to Bangladesh from India without due process. During the hearing, Justice Bagchi questioned if citizenship could be decided on the basis of the language a person speaks. “We would like you to clarify the bias ~ the use of a language as a presumption of being a foreigner,” Justice Bagchi said, addressing Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, argued that border authorities were deporting people without following any lawful procedure. He submitted that in one case, STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 29 august a pregnant woman was forced across the border despite having filed a habeas corpus petition before the Calcutta High Court. “This lady has been pushed out forcibly from the country she is pregnant ~ without any proof that she is a foreigner. They are saying, Bengali language is a Bangladeshi language. Therefore, people speaking Bengali are Bangladeshis. How can any authority push out any person without any determination whether so and so is a foreigner?” he said. The Court directed the Union government to file a reply within a week and clarified that the habeas corpus petition pending before the Calcutta High Court, concerning the citizenship status of the woman in question, Sonali Bibi, should be heard independently of the present proceedings. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday welcomed the directives of the Supreme Court on the issue of detention of Bengali speaking migrant workers. Taking to the X social media platform, Miss Banerjee wrote: “Today (29 Aug 2025), the Hon'ble Supreme Court heard a PIL on the detention of migrant workers from Bengal. The Apex Court acknowledged Bengal's historic role as a border State - a land that has given refuge, strength, and culture through generations. A direction has been issued to hear the plea of the migrant workers on priority in the High Court - this comes as a huge relief to the detained workers.” “The recognition of Bengal's unique context gives hope to countless Bengali-speaking workers across our motherland, whose labour and sacrifice strengthen families across India. I stand firmly by them,” Miss Banerjee wrote. India’s GDP grows at 7.8 pc in Q1FY26, fiscal deficit widens in April-July STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 29 August The India’s economy grew at 7.8 per cent in Q1FY26 over the growth rate of 6.5 per cent during Q1 of FY 2024-25. This has been the fastest pace in five quarters. As per the data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), real GDP has been estimated to grow by 7.8 per cent in Q1 of FY 2025-26 over the growth rate of 6.5 per cent during Q1 of FY 2024-25 while the Nominal GDP has witnessed a growth rate of 8.8 per cent in Q1 of FY 2025-26. The Real GDP in Q1 of FY 2025-26 is estimated at Rs 47.89 lakh crore, against Rs 44.42 lakh crore in Q1 of FY 2024-25. Nominal GDP or GDP at Current Prices in Q1 of FY 2025-26 is estimated at Rs 86.05 lakh crore, against Rs 79.08 lakh crore in Q1 of FY 2024-25. Real GVA in Q1 of FY 2025-26 is estimated at Rs 44.64 lakh crore, against Rs 41.47 lakh crore in Q1 of FY 2024-25. Nominal GVA in Q1 of FY 2025-26 is estimated at Rs 78.25 lakh crore, against Rs 71.95 lakh crore in Q1 of FY 2024-25. Further, the MoSPI data said the agriculture and allied sector has observed the Real GVA growth rate of 3.7 per cent, as compared to the growth rate of 1.5 per cent registered in Q1 of the last financial year. The manufacturing sector recorded a growth of 7.7 per cent, and construction at 7.6 per cent. The Ministry of Finance has also released the data of monthly accounts up to the month of July. The government's fiscal deficit target is 4.4 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) for FY26, as announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget, against 4.8 per cent in FY25, which was lower than the budget estimate of 4.9 per cent. As per the Finance Ministry data, the Central Government received Rs 10,95,209 crore, which is 31.3 per cent of the corresponding BE 2025-26 of Total Receipts, up to July 2025, comprising Rs 6,61,812 crore of Tax Revenue (Net to Centre), Rs 4,03,608 crore of Non-Tax Revenue, and Rs 29,789 crore of Non-Debt Capital Receipts. It said Rs 4,28,544 crore has been transferred to state governments as Devolution of Share of Taxes by the Government of India this period, which is Rs 61,914 crore higher than the previous year. In terms of expenditure, the Total Expenditure incurred by the Government of India is Rs 15,63,625 crore, which is 30.9 per cent of the corresponding BE 2025-26, out of which Rs 12,16,699 crore is on the Revenue Account and Rs 3,46,926 crore is on the Capital Account. After SC’s intervention, govt clears ECHS access for disabled cadets PARWINDER SADNDHU New Delhi, 29 August In a significant decision benefitting hundreds of disabled officer trainees discharged from military academies, the government has approved the extension of Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) benefits to them. Notably, these officer cadets will be exempt from the one-time subscription fee of Rs 1.20 lakh, which is currently applicable to ex-servicemen officers. It may be noted that during a hearing on 18 August, the Union government informed the Supreme Court that it is open to considering proposals aimed at alleviating the hardships faced by these disabled cadets and exploring avenues for their rehabilitation. The move came after the apex court had taken suo motu cognizance of the plight of officer cadets who suffer medical disabilities during military training but receive minimal support after being discharged. The court expressed concern over the inadequate healthcare and financial assistance available to these individuals, who are not officially recognized as ex-servicemen. A two-judge bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan heard the matter. Referring to a report placed before the court, the Bench noted that around 500 cadets from institutions like the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Military Academy (IMA) have sustained varying degrees of disability during training. However, due to their uncommissioned status, they fall outside the scope of the ECHS and are denied access to free medical treatment. The court highlighted the significant gap in support mechanisms, pointing out that these cadets receive only an ex gratia payment of up to Rs 40,000 per month, depending on the severity of their condition. This amount, the judges observed, is often insufficient to meet even basic medical needs, estimated to cost nearly Rs 50,000 per month on average. In response to these concerns, the court had issued notices to key stakeholders including the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Finance’s Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Social Justice’s Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, and the Chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.