MONDAY 02 472 JUNE, 2025 DRONES LAUNCHED BY RUSSIA ON SUNDAY IN ITS COUNTER OFFENSIVE epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard TWO RUSSIAN AIR BASES BEAR THE BRUNT WAR ISRAELI STRIKES KILL 31 IN GAZA At least 31 people were killed and over 150 were wounded on Sunday while on their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials. PAGE 09 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 Russia’s defence ministry in a statement confirmed the attacks from Ukraine. The FPV drones damaged aircraft and sparked fires on air bases in Irkutsk as well as Russia’s northern Murman UKRAINE HITS RUSSIAN BOMBERS AHEAD OF TRUCE TALKS IN ISTANBUL A Ukrainian drone attack destroyed over 40 Russian planes on Sunday—a day before the two sides were to meet for talks in Istanbul TOP UKRAINIAN COMMANDER PUTS IN PAPERS The spectacular claim that Ukraine damaged $2 billion worth of Russian aircraft parked at airbases thousands of kilometres away came as Kyiv announced that a Russian counter-military strike killed at least 12 of its soldiers at an army training site, leading to the resignation of its ground forces commander Mykhailo Drapaty, who owed ‘responsibility’ for the hit | P9 GST collections stay above K2 lakh cr in May Gross GST revenue up 16.4%; robust mop-up for 2nd month in a row; double-digit growth in several large states D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi IF May GST collection—tax collected for April transactions— are anything to go by, India’s economy started the financial year with a bang despite the disruptions caused by US president Donald Trump’s threat of reciprocal tariffs. Gross monthly GST collections in May rose by 16.4% to touch `2.01 lakh crore—only the third time since the indirect tax regime came into force in July 2017. Gross domestic revenue rose by 14% to `1.5 lakh crore, while revenue from imports increased by 25% to `51,000 crore. Net GST revenues (after de- Rains, winds at 96km/hr batter capital P R A B H AT S H U K L A @ New Delhi A powerful thunderstor m swept across the Delhi-NCR on Sunday bringing rain, intense , dust storms, and winds gusting up to 96 kmph. As the storm intensified, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert around 5 pm, upgrading its earlier yellow alert. Palam recorded the highest thundersquall, with wind gusts peaking at 96 kmph. Safdarjung reported squalls and winds of 80 kmph, while Pragati Maidan saw 76 kmph. The southern and southwestern parts of Delhi were hit first, with the weather system advancing from Haryana, where Hisar, Bhiwani, and Rohtak recorded gusts of 60, 40, and 20 kmph, respectively, between 3:30 pm and 3:45 pm. The IMD attributed the storm to multiple interacting systems, a western disturbance over north Pakistan, a cyclonic circulation over Haryana, and moisture feed from the Arabian Sea, along with favourable thermodynamic conditions. Flight operations at Delhi’s IGIA were also disrupted, with an average departure delay of 40 minutes. The IMD has maintained a yellow alert for Delhi-NCR till June 3, forecasting more rain, thunderstor ms and gusty winds of up to 60 kmph on Monday and Tuesday . ducting refunds from gross collections) showed even better buoyancy as the same increased by 20.4% to `1.74 lakh crore. Total refunds contracted by 4% year-on-year. This is the second month in a row when gross collections witnessed double-digit growth. In April, gross GST collections hit an all-time high of `2.36 lakh crore in April 2025, 12.6% higher than the collection of `2.10 lakh crore in April 2024. This augurs well for the country as FY25 showed GST revenue collections growth slowing down to single digit numbers. “A 16% growth in GST collections in the month shows a renewed upward momentum af- GROSS GST REVENUE Import gains May ’24 May ’25 GST revenue CGST 32,409 35,434 from inward shipments SGST 40,265 43,902 grew 25%, IGST 87,781 1,08,836 showing CESS 12,284 12,879 imports shot up despite Total 1,72,739 2,01,050 tariff (Figures in ` crore) headwinds Tamil Nadu by 25% and Kerala by 24%. Bihar (23%) and Delhi (58%) and West Bengal (18%) are few other notable good performers during the month. Gujarat (4%), Telangana (6%) and Andhra Pradesh (-2%) were few of the laggards. According to Deloitte’s Mani, the wide variations in GST collections growth across states require a thorough analysis across the sectors that are important in each state. “The average growth across the country does not appear to be uniformly reflected across states, possibly due to sectoral or seasonal factors which require a deeper data-based analysis,” he argues. Hasina charged with crimes against humanity A G E N C I E S @ Dhaka FUGITIVE former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina orchestrated a “systematic attack” that amounted to crimes against humanity in her attempt to crush the uprising that toppled her government, Bangladeshi prosecutors said at the opening of her trial on Sunday . Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 after Hasina’s gover nment launched its crackdown, according to the United Nations. Hasina, 77, fled by helicopter to India as the student-led up- rising ended her 15-year rule, and she has defied an extradition order to return to Dhaka. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is prosecuting former senior figures connected to Hasina’s ousted government and her now-banned par ty, the Awami League. “Upon scrutinising the evidence, we reached the conclusion that it was a coordinated, widespread and systematic attack,” ICT chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam told the court in his opening speech. “The accused unleashed all law enforcement agencies and her armed party members to crush the uprising.” Islam lodged five charges each against Hasina and two other officials that included “abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy , and failure to prevent mass murder during the July uprising”. Prosecutors say such acts are tantamount to “crimes against humanity”. Hasina, who remains in self- imposed exile in India since August 5, 2023, has rejected the charges as politically motivated. Apart from Hasina, the case includes ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun and for mer interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who is on the run. Three days after Hasina’s ouster, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took over as the nation’s interim leader. Separately on Sunday the Su, preme Court restored the registration of Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, , allowing it to take part in elections. EXPRESS READ Minor Dalit rape victim dies at Patna hospital Patna: A nine-year-old Dalit girl from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, who was raped and brutally attacked, passed away at Patna Medical College and Hospital on Sunday morning reportedly owing to lack of proper treatment. Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah addresses an organisational meeting of the BJP at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday | PTI Shah raises CAA, Operation Sindoor in Bengal poll pitch RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi SOUNDING the poll bugle in West Bengal ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused the Mamata Banerjeeled government of opposing Operation Sindoor and the Waqf Amendment Act to appease the Muslim vote bank. Addressing party leaders and workers in Kolkata, Shah alleged Hindus were being oppressed in the state and forced to flee. The recent riots in Murshidabad were not spontaneous but orchestrated by the state, he claimed, adding that the Mamata-led Trinamool Congress shielded the perpetrators of violence. Shah also alleged that Hindu refugees were getting notices that their names may be removed from the voter list. “There is no need to worry. Simply fill out the CAA applications, and we will ensure that they are granted Indian citizenship,” he said. Raising the Pahalgam terror attack issue, Shah said, “When tourists from Bengal were killed in the attack, Mamata Didi remained silent. But now she is having problems with Operation Sindoor.” Mamata Banerjee had recently accused the Centre of politicising Operation Sindoor for electoral gains. “Operation Sindoor was to punish terrorists. But Didi was pained at the deaths of terrorists and gave a cheap political statement. She made West Bengal a centre for infiltrators, corruption and crimes,” Shah said, adding that the TMC’s days were numbered. Shah said the upcoming elections are not just about Bengal, but about national security, adding: “Didi has left Bengal’s borders open for Bangladeshis. Infiltration is taking place in Bengal with her blessing.” In a counter to Shah’s charges, the TMC said stopping infiltration is the responsibility of the BSF, not state government. “It is the sole responsibility of the BSF to stop cross-border infiltration. The TMC is not responsible for guarding the borders; that is the job of the BSF, which operates under the Union Home Ministry If there are . any issues, those should be resolved by the Centre, not blamed on the state,” said , TMC leader and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya. Centre taps UP officials for Ganga water release to flush out Yamuna pollutants J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi PERENNIAL MISERY Floodwaters force residents to evacuate along with livestock, seeking safety in Lakhimpur, Assam on Sunday | PTI | P8 WUNDERKIND At 11, Bengaluru’s Charvi making heads turn at Norway Open S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Stavanger INDIA’s chess conveyor belt shows no signs of slowing down. One of the latest to emerge from the seemingly limitless pool is Charvi A, who has already made the likes of Viswanathan Anand sit up and take notice. The 11-year-old, currently in action at the Norway Open event in the city is a , WFM (Woman Fide Master). Already an age-group world champion, what makes the Bengaluru-based Charvi special is the way she’s laser-focused in her chess. Even in a game where obsessives are dime-a-dozen, it’s unheard of for somebody as young as her to set boundaries. For example, she has already told her parents to not reveal the identity of her coach (she has worked ter a few months of growth in the range of 11 to 12%. If the growth continues in this range for next couple of months, it might provide the cushion for the Government to look at rate rationalisation on which a lot of work has already been done,” says Pratik Jain, partner, Price Waterhouse & Co LLP . Meanwhile, M S Mani, partner, Deloitte India, says a 25% higher GST revenue from imports indicates that imports have accelerated despite recent tariff headwinds. Several large states, including those in the South, have seen high double-digit growth. Collections from Maharashtra rose by 17%, Karnataka by 20%, Charvi A with her parents with Swayams Mishra and RB Ramesh in the past). Her dedication also lies in her wanting to learn from her mistakes. After every game, she makes it a point to have a debrief with all of her opponents. “It can go on for 30 minutes also,” her mother, Akhila, who left behind her IT job, says. She and her husband Anil Kumar had to rely on YouTube to understand the game and keep pace with their daughter. Her parents were undecided on her daughter pursuing chess but after she won the Under-8 girls World Championship, they were sold on her obvious talents (post that, she also got the highest civilian award given to children for her chess exploits). They were okay pulling her out of school (she only visits to give term exams) apart from customising her training schedule. Apart from chess training, she also goes for swimming and badminton classes in the evening to ensure she gets some physical activity on a daily basis. Charvi has had a mixed Open event but that’s to be expected at this level as the players she faces are either higher rated or have more experience. But it will stand her in good stead goP11 ing forward. 100 DAYS LOOKING BACK AT THE HIGHS & LOWS As the BJP-led Delhi govt completes its 100 days in power, here’s a look at crucial developments and challenges witnessed during this instrumental period of governance. | P4 AFTER the Uttar Pradesh government’s refusal to share the Ganga water for cleaning up the Yamuna, the Centre is reportedly engaging with state officials through bureaucratic channels regarding this matter. According to sources, Rajeev Kumar Mital, the Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, is currently drafting a proposal to convince the UP government that sharing a certain amount of water with Delhi will not impact the state’s riparian rights. Additionally the Centre also , has offered to assist UP in covering any extra costs or providing infrastructural support needed for the water sharing. However, the decision to share Ganga river water with Delhi, at the request of the Central Government, carries political risks, especially as UP will face assembly elections in early 2027. The proposal emerged after the BJP returned to power in Delhi after 27 years. In the run-up to the polls, PM Narendra Modi had promised to clean the Yamuna river. To achieve this, the national capital requires additional water to maintain the environmental flow in the Yamuna during the lean season. Currently the flow of the Ya, muna is approximately 0.49 million cubic meters (MCM) per day, which is sig- nificantly below the required flow of 0.86 MCM. This issue was discussed during a high-level meeting in April attended by PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and D e l h i ’s C h i e f S e c r e t a r y Dharmendra. Following the meeting, a proposal was shared with the UP government outlining how to divert water from the Upper Ganga Canal through its branch channels to Delhi for at least three years. “The Centre has proposed this water-sharing arrangement until the end of 2026, after which Delhi is expected to upgrade its sewage treatment plants (STPs),” said a senior UP government official. It’s always raining umbrellas in Kochi Metro! K R I S H N A K U M A R K E @ Kochi WITH the monsoon arriving sooner than expected, it’s literally raining umbrellas in the Kochi Metro. The metro is a sure bet to escape traffic congestion in the city when the heavens open up. And the “dry” passage it provides seems to be lulling passengers into losing touch with their trusty protectors. Umbrellas are now being recovered from trains or station premises “much too often”. On May 30 and 31 alone, ten umbrellas were found deserted at stations -- four at Vyttila and six at Kadavanthra. And, as it turns out, this is the trend year-round. “The most common forgotten item in metro trains is the umbrella, more so since the rains started. We’re now getting a minimum of three umbrellas daily. It’s also an item which owners rarely return for, leaving us with a good collection of umbrellas,” an official said. A total of 766 umbrellas were lost and found last year, with only a mere 30 returned to customers. Helmets, cash, and jewellery are among personal belongings that commuters leave behind during journeys. All lost items are handed over to the station controller who records the details in the lost & found database. On its part, KMRL issues updates of lost items on its website. “A lost article must be claimed within 90 days of the date it is found. After that it is transferred to the D-Cos at Muttom and disposed of once every year following a gazette notification,” the official added.