FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘Farming is our identity’ Tata Steel hit with 1.4 bn euro emission suit: Mumbai: Tata Steel informed the stock exchange in a regulatory filing that it faces a collective lawsuit filed by a Dutch NGO against its Netherlands subsidiary, seeking compensation of about $1.6 billion (1.4-billion euros) for alleged environmental and health impact to residents near its steel plant at Velsen-Noord, near IJmuiden, in the Netherlands. Tata Steel has also informed the stock exchange that it is fully prepared to defend the case and believes that the Dutch NGOP faces significant challenges on both admissibility and merits. While exhibits from the Dutch NGO SFW's claim statement are yet to be received, Tata Steel said it has already identified strong grounds for defence. The case has been filed by Stichting Frisse Wind (SFW) before the District Court of North Holland, Haarlem, and targets Tata Steel Nederland B.V. and Tata Steel IJmuiden B.V. Page 10 Page 9 ‘Hostility against minorities in B’desh matter of great concern’ Results of probe into Pahalgam attack will put Pak in dock: Shah NIKHIL VYAS New Delhi, 26 December India flags H1-B visa delay issues with USA New Delhi, 26 December E xpressing its grave concern over continuous hostility against minorities in Bangladesh, India on Friday strongly condemned the recent killing of a Hindu youth in the neighbouring country and said it expects that the perpetrators of the crime would be brought to justice. India’s reaction follow recent incidents involving the lynching of Hindu men in Bangladesh, which have renewed focus on minority security concerns. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the “unremitting hostility” against minorities in Bangladesh is a matter of grave concern. A 25-year-old Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, was brutally killed in a mob lynching incident after blasphemy accusations by a coworker at his factory on 18 December. Bangladeshi media yesterday reported the killing of another Hindu youth, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, who was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal protest outside the Bangladesh High Commission against atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh, in New Delhi on 23 December. FILE PHOTO Kalimohar Union in Bangladesh late Wednesday. Speaking to mediapersons in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is closely monitoring developments and has expressed grave concern over the continued hostility of minorities, including Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists. “We condemn the recent killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh and expect that the perpetrators of the crime would be brought to justice,” the MEA spokesperson said. “Over 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities, including cases of killings, arson, and land grabs, have been documented by sources during the tenure of the interim government. These incidents cannot be brushed aside as mere media exaggerations or dismissed as political violence,” Jaiswal further said. “We have rejected the false narrative that is being projected in Bangladesh. Maintaining law and order and security is the responsibility of the Bangladesh interim govern- Centre opposes PIL in Delhi HC to slash GST on air purifiers STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 26 December The Central government on Friday told the Delhi High Court that a ‘Pandora’s Box’ situation may ensue if the Court were to order the GST Council to slash goods and services tax (GST) rates on air purifiers without following the applicable process involved before such decisions can be taken, Bar and Bench reported. A Division Bench of Justices Vikas Mahajan and Vinod Kumar was hearing a plea seeking directions to categorise air purifiers under the category of ‘medical device’ and to reduce the GST on them from 18 to 5 per cent. The High Court had, on 24 December, asked the GST Council to convene an urgent meeting to consider this proposal. The Central government today said that the matter is being examined at the highest level, but sought more time to give a measured response. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) N Venkataraman, representing the Centre, added that if the GST Council mechanism is bypassed in this case, it could open a Pandora’s Box whereby more GST exemptions may be sought without following the proper procedure. “This will open a Pandora's Box. Parliamentary committee has recommended something to us. It will be considered. There is a process. We are not saying anything. We are not saying whether it will be done or not. Constitution issue is involved,” the ASG said. When the petitioner, Advocate Kapil Madan, persisted in arguing that air purifiers should be classified as a medical device with a lower GST rate, the Court too noted that these decisions may have to wait until the GST Council meets. The ASG went on to assure the Court that the government will inform by its counteraffidavit as to when a GST Council meeting can be scheduled. The Court proceeded to give the government ten days time to file its counter-affidavit. The case will be heard next PM Modi signals intensified reform drive, pledges stronger focus on ‘ease of living’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 26 December Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday underscored the continuity and expansion of his government’s reform agenda, asserting that improving the “Ease of Living” for every citizen remains a central priority. Referring to a series of MyGovIndia posts on social media summarising recent governance milestones, the Prime Minister said the progress achieved so far marks only the beginning of a more vigorous phase of reforms. His remarks followed a series of MyGovIndia posts on social media that provided a detailed overview of administrative changes that identified 2025 as a turning Page 12 SATURDAY INTERVIEW Prez confers Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar BRIEFLY Ashes: Australia take 46-run lead as 20 wickets fall on Day 1 of MCG Test Page 7 Zelenskyy says meeting with Trump to happen soon Page 5 Saturday, 27 December 2025 SPORTS WORLD NATION | point in governance. The emphasis, the report noted, has shifted from procedural complexity to outcome-driven reforms aimed at reducing everyday “friction” for citizens and businesses. “Ours is a Government committed to boosting ‘Ease of Living’… Our reform trajectory will continue with even more vigour in the coming times,” PM Modi said in a post on X. The government’s renewed push on Ease of Living has been driven by a series of structural measures designed to ease the stress of compliance and governance, according to MyGovIndia, which is a citizen engagement platform of thr Government of India. These include tax simplification to clarify rules and reduce the burden on the middle class and small and medium enterprises; decriminalisation of minor compliance lapses by treating them as civil, not criminal, offences; faster dispute resolution through technologyenabled judicial processes; and the implementation of modern labour codes that streamline outdated laws while balancing worker protection with industrial flexibility. on 9 January 2026, by which time the petitioner has been allowed to file his rejoinder. The ASG today also questioned whether a public interest litigation (PIL) could be filed in the matter. He suggested that the petitioner could, instead, file a representation on this issue before the government. “If this can be converted into a representation, that's fine. If he wants to contest it, we want to file a detailed counter-affidavit. We want to know who is behind this writ petition. It is not a PIL at all,” the ASG said. The ASG added that there were rules and procedures to be followed before a proper decision could be taken. The Court, however, maintained that some thing should be done to bring down the cost of air purifiers in Delhi, given the air pollution crisis that has hit the national capital. New Delhi: India has raised concerns with the United States over H-1B visa delays, with the MEA saying that New Delhi remains actively engaged with Washington to minimise the disruptions caused to Indian nationals. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday that the government has received several representations from Indian nationals who are facing problems with their rescheduling of their visa appointments. “We have flagged these issues and our concerns to the US side, both here in New Delhi and in Washington,” the MEA spokesperson said. ment. To portray a narrative where things (are) in some other direction is completely false and we reject that,” the MEA spokesperson said. BJP makes history in Kerala, VV Rajesh elected first mayor: Thiruvananthapuram: In a historic development in Kerala’s political landscape, BJP leader VV Rajesh was on Friday elected as the mayor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. This is the first time that the BJP has won the Mayor's post in Kerala. Rajesh won the mayoral election held at the Corporation office here by securing 51 votes in the 101-member council. He secured half the votes with the support of an independent councilor. Rajesh’s election marks a significant breakthrough for the BJP in Kerala, which has been dominated by the CPI-M-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF. Page 8 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday stated that the country's agencies conducted a complete and successful probe in the Pahalgam terrorist attack, and the results of the investigation are going to put Pakistan in the dock on international platforms. “Our team has conducted a complete and successful investigation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which agencies around the world will study in the coming days,” Mr Shah said. The HM today inaugurated the ‘Anti-Terrorism Conference 2025’ in New Delhi, and during his address said that at both ends, the Government of India, the Indian security forces, and the people of the country have given a strong and befitting reply to Pakistan's terrorist masters through our security forces and intelligence agencies. Mr Shah also said that the Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted a thorough investigation into the blast that occurred recently in Delhi, where all our agencies did an excellent job in investigating the entire network. He said that the attack in Baisaran Valley was one that shook the entire country, and observed that through this, the terrorists wanted to disrupt communal harmony affect development and tourism that has begun in Kashmir. Mr Shah added that, however, based on extremely precise intelligence, country's armed forces neutralised all three terrorists, delivering a stern message to Pakistan. He said that this is the first terrorist incident in which those who planned the terrorist act were punished by us through Operation Sindoor, and those who carried out the act with the weapons provided to them were neutralised through Operation Mahadev. Mr Shah also said that under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of zero-tolerance against terrorism, the annual conference has become a platform to deal with emerging threats. India launches national database to track firearms in counter-terrorism push UNITED NEWS OF INDIA New Delhi, 26 December As part of measures to bolster national security, India has launched its first National Database of Arms during a two-day anti-terrorism conference organised by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The conference, aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of zero tolerance towards terrorism, serves as an annual platform for discussing next-generation strategies against emerging threats. The new, state-of-the-art database aims to streamline the tracking of legal and illegal firearms across the country, accelerate crime investigations, and effectively target terrorist networks. It will provide central and state law enforcement agencies with a shared digital platform containing crucial information on weapons, including type, serial number, license details, seizure records, and potential links to crimes. Security officials believe the initiative will strengthen the investigative and intelligence framework by enabling the analysis of inter-state links between recovered weapons, helping expose wider networks. It is expected to enhance real-time information sharing and coordination between central and state police forces, preventing duplication of efforts and improving control over inter-state crimes. The conference itself focused on fostering synergy among various stakeholders for a coordinated 'Whole of Government' approach against terrorism. Discussions aimed at sharing experiences, best practices, and lessons from terror investigations among law enforcement agencies to inform future policy-making. Experts view the firearms database as a critical step in disrupting the supply chains of weapons used by terrorist organisations and organised crime syndicates. By analysing the movement and usage patterns of weapons, security agencies hope to improve threat forecasting. The database is also seen as a major step towards modernised policing under the Digital India initiative, with plans to eventually integrate it with forensic, ballistic, and other crime databases for more precise action against criminals. Bihar flood victims have become poorer from each flood: Survey JOYMALA BAGCHI New Delhi, 26 December An assessment survey of last year’s Bihar floods has found that the affected households have become poorer from each flood they have faced and have reduced ability to cope with the next big disruption in their lives. The findings are part of the Household-level Bihar Flood Loss Assessment 2024, which also highlighted the scale of household losses suffered, with data showing that damages worth over Rs 126 crore were borne by the affected families. Floods in the state of Bihar are a yearly occurrence; however, the 2024 flood devastated many more households than usual, compelling several flood-affected victims to cope with huge losses in the eastern state. The survey which was undertaken by Megh Pyne Abhiyan with the support of Tata Trusts, captures losses from a single flood season, but said that, “repeated exposure means that households enter each flood with diminished assets and coping capacity”. After assessing the loss, Eklavya Prasad, Managing Trustee, Megh Pyne Abhiyan, author of the report, said: “The assessment clearly shows that despite floods being an annual occurrence, ground realities have not changed in a way that reduces vulnerability.” He pointed out that instead, households have adapted to recurring floods primarily even as their ability to cope with more losses has eroded. “This includes routine acceptance of damage, repeated rebuilding of houses, and reliance on distress mechanisms such as borrowing, selling assets, and depending on remittances,” Mr Prasad said. Bihar’s floods are expected every year, many households no longer anticipate full recovery between flood events and normalise loss, the environmentalist pointed out. “The annual nature of flooding has normalised loss rather than reduced it, resulting in a cycle of damage, partial recovery, renewed exposure and poverty.” Saanjali Verma, co-author of this report, said land damage emerged as the single largest contributor to losses, accounting for nearly half of the total, followed by housing repair and reconstruction costs. “Housing damage was also the most widespread impact, affecting almost all surveyed households. More frequently reported losses were not always the most financially significant.” The findings assess that 2,290 flood-affected households across 134 wards in 21 panchayats of seven districts, Pashchim Champaran, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Saharsa, Supaul, and Kishanganj, and document total reported losses of rupees 126.3 crore at the household level, the findings reflect.