FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 BRIEFLY India’s growth to expand at 6.6 per cent this year, says IMF New Delhi: India’s economy is projected to expand at a healthy pace of 6.6 per cent this year (FY26), up from 6.5 per cent in 2024 (FY25) ~ owing to strong Q2 growth and GST 2.0 reforms, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday said in its latest regional economic outlook report for Asia. The forecast for India has improved since April 2025 as strong Q2 growth and the goods and services tax (GST) reform are expected to outweigh the negative effects of higher US tariffs on demand for Indian goods. India’s growth is expected to moderate to 6.2 per cent in 2026, according to the IMF report. China’s growth is expected to moderate to 4.8 per cent in 2025, from 5.0 per cent in 2024, the report said, while noting that higher US tariffs and increasing protectionism will likely reduce demand for Asian exports and weigh on growth in the near term. | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI IMRAN MOJIB Patna, 24 October P rime Minister Narendra Modi sought to set the tone for Bihar’s high-stakes Assembly elections by invoking the caste narrative during public meetings in Samastipur and Begusarai on Friday. Launching his campaign for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections with a clear focus on social equations, he highlighted the OBC narrative, describing himself, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Union Minister Ramnath Thakur as “sons of backward families.” Before addressing the rally, PM Modi visited Karpoori Gram, the birthplace of Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur, and paid tribute to the socialist leader and former Bihar Chief Minister, who was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2024. The choice of venue was symbolically significant, as accordig to the recent caste census, the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) constitute STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public rally for the Bihar Assembly elections in Begusarai on Friday. AGENCIES 36.02 per cent of Bihar’s population, making them the largest and most decisive vote bank in the state. Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said: “I had the opportunity to pay tribute to Bharat Ratna Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur in Karpoori Gram. It is by his blessings that people like me, Nitish Kumar, and Ramnath Thakur, who come from backward and poor families, stand on this stage today.” Underscoring his India's approach to trade negotiations is not driven by a pressure to meet immediate targets, but by a long-term vision. New Delhi, 24 October UNION MINISTER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY PIYUSH GOYAL regional and global developments. During his speech, Mr Goyal underscored that trade deals are not merely about tariffs or market access, but also about building relations, trust, and creating sustainable frameworks for global business cooperation. "In a very short-term context, it's not about what is going to happen in the next six months. It's not just about being able to sell steel to America," he noted. “India's approach to trade negotiations is not driven by a pressure to meet immediate targets, but by a long-term vision. Trade deals are for a longer duration. It's not only Reliance to comply with US, EU sanctions on Russian oil AGENCIES New Delhi, 24 October Reliance Industries announced on Friday that it will comply with the EU guidelines on the import of refined products into Europe linked to the fresh sanctions that have been imposed on Russia’s crude oil exports. The company also said that “whenever there is any guidance from the Indian Government in this respect, as always, we will be complying fully.” Reliance is the largest importer of Russian crude oil in India, which it processes into petroleum products such as petrol and diesel at the company’s giant refinery in Jamnagar on the Gujarat coast for export and domestic use. SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PM Modi launches Bihar poll campaign, plays OBC card government’s commitment to the EBC community, PM Modi said that conferring the Bharat Ratna on Karpoori Thakur reflected the NDA government’s respect for his legacy. The Prime Minister added that the BJP-NDA alliance had made Karpoori Thakur’s vision of social justice the foundation of good governance. “We consider him a guiding light. With the resolve to prioritise the underprivileged, uplift the backward, and serve ‘India will not rush into signing trade pacts, will reject conditions restricting choices’ India will not rush into signing any trade agreements, and it will reject conditions from partner countries that restrict its trading choices, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said Friday. While speaking at the Berlin Global Dialogue, Mr Goyal said India would take a “measured approach”. He also met Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel. Both leaders reviewed the progress in economic relations and explored further avenues to strengthen bilateral trade and business relations. They also discussed the upcoming State Visit to India as well as | A large percentage of the crude throughput at the 35 million tonnes per annum refinery comprises Russian crude. The Indian company has indicated that it will be diversifying its sources for crude imports to fill this gap and adjust the operations at the refinery accordingly to cater to the domestic and EU market. “We have noted the recent restrictions announced by the EU, UK and the US on crude oil imports from Russia and export of refined products to Europe. Reliance is currently assessing the implications, including the new compliance requirements. We will comply with the EU’s guidelines on the import of refined products into Europe. Whenever there is any guidance from the Indian Government in this respect, as always, we will be complying fully. Reliance has consistently aligned itself with the objectives of ensuring India’s energy security,” the Reliance spokesperson said. The supply of Russian crude to major Indian refineries is likely to decline considerably following sanctions announced by the US against Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s two biggest oil companies. about tariffs, it's also about trust and a relationship. Trade deals are also about businesses," he said. As part of his Germany visit, Mr Goyal also held one-on-one discussions with CEOs of leading German companies, including Jochen Hanebeck, CEO, Infineon Technologies AG, Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO, Schaeffler Group, Michael Masur, CEO, Renk Vehicle Mobility, Martin Herrenknecht, CEO, Herrenknecht AG, Tobias Bischof-Niemz, Board Member, Enertrag and Ola Kaellenius, CEO, Mercedes-Benz. The discussions focussed on synergies and prospects for increased collaborations between Indian and German companies, especially in critical sectors like defence, energy, emerging technologies and mobility. the poor, our government continues to move forward. We have prioritised the interests of the poor, Dalits, Mahadalits, backward, and extremely backward communities. It was our government that decided to provide a 10% reservation for the economically weaker sections among the general category,” he said. “The BJP government also extended the reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes by another 10 years,” he added. He further said that the long-pending demand to give the OBC Commission constitutional status was fulfilled only by the NDA government. Taking a swipe at the opposition, he said, “On the other hand, you all know better than me what the RJD and Congress are saying and doing.” Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who also addressed the rally, launched a sharp attack on RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family. Nitish said that Lalu Yadav only works to promote his own family. Calcutta HC withdraws protection to BJP’s Suvendu STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 24 October In a setback for West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Calcutta High Court withdrew the legal protection granted to him in 2022, paving the way for the state police to file FIRs against him without seeking prior permission from the court. The order came from the Bench of Justice Joy Sengupta, which observed that the earlier protection was only an interim arrangement and “no interim order can continue indefinitely.” The Bench also directed the formation of a joint SIT of the CBI and West Bengal Police to probe five cases pending against Mr Adhikari. • Details on Page 4 | Saturday, 25 October 2025 SIR exercise in TN to begin next week: Chennai: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 elections to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, due in 6-7 months, will begin from next week, the ECI informed Madras High Court on Friday. The SIR exercise will be held as part of the nationwide exercise, aiming to update and verify voter lists comprehensively ahead of the ensuing elections. Page 6 Bengaluru-bound bus with 40 on board catches fire after hitting bike, 19 dead Andhra Pradesh home minister V Anitha (centre) at the spot. SNS ANINDITA CHOWDHURY Hyderabad, 24 October At least 19 people were charred to death after a Bengaluru-bound private luxury bus from Hyderabad caught fire following a collision with a two-wheeler near Chinna Tekur village of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh early Friday morning. The victims were asleep and were caught in the flames, which had engulfed the exit door. The two-wheeler rider also died at the spot. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 2 lakhs as ex-gratia for the next of kin of the deceased. Both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have also announced Rs 5 lakhs each as ex gratia for the next of kin of the deceased, while the injured will receive Rs 2 lakhs. The Andhra Pradesh government has set up a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the accident. In the evening, the crane that was removing the charred bus toppled, with the driver receiving minor injuries. According to the Kurnool superintendent of police, when the bus hit the two-wheeler, it was caught in the undercarriage of the bigger vehicle and dragged for 300 metres, which led to the fire that completely gutted the bus. Both drivers of the bus survived the tragedy; one of them has been taken into custody. Survivors complained that the drivers fled at the time of the accident. TDP MP Byreddy Shabari, who reached the spot, said: “One person was travelling with his family ~ a two-month-old infant and a five-year-old child. The father broke open the window, and because of him, many were rescued, because that was the only window that could be broken.” While 19 people died, including two children, 27 passengers managed to climb out of the emergency window. Among the deceased, six were from Andhra Pradesh, six from Telangana, two from Karnataka, two from Tamil Nadu and one each from Bihar and Odisha. One body is yet to be identified. Andhra Pradesh home minister V Anitha said: “The bodies were totally charred, making it impossible to identify and hence 16 forensic teams have been formed to identify the deceased through DNA tests and collect evidence.” • Related report: Pg. 6 Jaishankar slams UN for failing to act against nations shielding terrorists STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 24 October External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday launched a blistering attack on the United Nations for its ''inability to act decisively against terrorism", warning that the global body’s credibility is eroding as powerful member states continue to shield terror groups and block meaningful action. In an obvious reference to Pakistan, he chided the world body for its repeated failure to hold state sponsors of terrorism accountable, exposing deep flaws in its structure that are exploited by powerful nations to shield extremists. Speaking at an event marking the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, Mr Jaishankar said the UN’s failure to act decisively against terrorism reflected the larger challenges confronting multilateralism today. “Few examples are more telling than the UN’s response to terrorism. When a sitting Security Council member openly protects the organization that claims responsibility for barbaric terror attacks, such as at Pahalgam, what does it do to the credibility of multilateralism?” he asked. The minister accused certain member countries of deliberately obstructing sanctions against state sponsors of terrorism, thereby undermining both the UN Charter and the global fight against extremism. He called it “deeply cynical” that victims and perpetrators of terrorism are often equated in the name of global strategy, adding that such attitudes undermine the very spirit of international cooperation. “When self-proclaimed terrorists are shielded from sanctions, it raises serious questions about the sincerity of those involved,” he said. He added: “I take it as a statement of our collective attachment to the United Nations at a time when the world is perhaps passing through some of its most difficult circumstances.” Mr Jaishankar also reaffirmed India’s commitment to global peace, security, development, and multilateralism, even as he called for urgent reforms within the United Nations to make it more representative and effective. Highlighting India’s role in global peacekeeping, Jaishankar said, “Our commitment to global peace and security is reflected, among others, in our staunch support for peacekeeping. The energies, resources, and sacrifices of our personnel have ensured that the world is a better place.”