WEDNESDAY STEALTH FRIGATE INS TAMAL LATEST INDUCTION INTO THE NAVY 02 An improved version of Shtil missile is the primary weapon for anti-air defence of the Russian-manufactured frigate INS Tamal JULY, 2025 8 epaper.morningstandard.in th facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard INS TAMAL IS THE EIGHTH SHIP THAT RUSSIA TRANSFERRED TO THE NAVY THAILAND PM SUSPENDED OVER LEAKED CALL Constitutional Court suspended PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra, pending an investigation into accusations of leaked phone call with a Cambodian leader. PAGE 9 PANCHAYATI RAJ House panel meet cut short over invite to Patkar and Raj A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI  J8.00 WANT TO HAVE SIMILAR MEETS EVERY 5-6 MTHS: U.S. J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed the strategic importance of the grouping. “We would like to do this every five-six months. These are important strategic partners and allies of the US. We have shared priorities — we talk about ideas and concepts,” he said IN the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday asserted that India will not hesitate to defend its citizens against terrorism and expects its strategic partners to stand in solidarity, at a meeting of Quad foreign ministers in Washington. “A word about terrorism in the light of our recent experience — the world must display zero tolerance. Victims and perpetrators must never be equated. And India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that,” Jaishankar said, addressing his counterparts from the US, Japan and Australia. The strong statement came in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians — mostly tourists — in a cross-border ACT OF ECONOMIC WARFARE: MINISTER External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday described the Pahalgam terror attack as an act of economic warfare, adding India no longer separates terror groups from the states that support them terror attack, underscoring India’s growing assertiveness on counterterrorism in multilateral groupings such as the Quad. Set against the backdrop of growing concerns over China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, the Quad meeting also reaffirmed the group’s commitment to a free, open, and rulesbased regional order. “We are all committed to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar said. “It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice, so essential to make right decisions on development and security,” Jaishankar said. He added that the bloc was becoming “more cohesive, nimble, and focused”. Whopping 767 Maha farmer suicides recorded in 3 months S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai THE Maharashtra government on Tuesday revealed in the legislative assembly that between January and March this year, at least 767 farmers died by suicide across the state. A majority of them hail from the Vidarbha region. The disclosure was made by the state government after Congress MLAs sought data on the rising farm suicides in Maharashtra, particularly in Vidarbha. They also wanted to know how the state government was extending help to the deceased farmers’ families. Congress MLAs also demanded increasing the finan- Steps to curb deaths The state government said it has undertaken measures to stop the suicides. “Govt is extending compensation for crops that get damaged due to rain or natural calamity” cial aid for the deceased from the current `1 lakh. In his written reply Makrand , Patil, relief and rehabilitation minister and NCP MLA, said the government will extended all possible help to the affected farmers. Patil said between January and March this year, 767 farmers in the state died by suicide. Of them, 376 farmers were eligible for the Maharashtra government’s compensation. Patil said as many as 257 farmers died by suicide in western Vidarbha’s Yawatmal, Amarawati, Akola, Buldhana and Wasim districts alone. Of them, the families of 76 farmers got financial help from the state government while 74 applications were disqualified. In Hingoli district of Marathwada, 24 farmers killed themselves in that period. The Congress lawmakers alleged that the Maharashtra government had failed to extend financial help to the kin of the deceased farmers immediately . Pvt bikes can be used as taxis, says road ministry The Ministry of Road Transport has revised the Motor Vehicles Aggregator Guidelines, allowing the use of private (non-transport) motorcycles for passenger transport and hyperlocal deliveries through app-based aggregators. | P10 Custody of law student rape accused extended NATURE’S FURY Panchvaktra Mahadev Temple at the confluence of Beas & Suketi rivers flowing in spate after a cloudburst in Himachal’s Mandi | PTI | P8 Cash-strapped AAP govt in Punjab seeks loan of `8.5K cr for Q2 FY26 H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandifgarh THE financially distressed AAP-led Punjab government will secure a loan of `8,500 crore from the market during the second quarter of the current fiscal year (July to September), bringing the total borrowings to `14,741.92 crore. In April-May, the state had raised `6,241.92-crore as loans and is mulling to borrow `34,201.11 crore this year. Thus, by the end of March 2026, the total debt of the state is likely to touch `4 lakh crore. PAGES 12 Jaishankar says India will exercise right to defend against terror, expects partners to understand EXPRESS READ The police custody of the three accused in the alleged rape of a first-year student at a law college in south Kolkata was extended till July 8 by a court on Tuesday. The accused comprise the prime suspect, Monojit Mishra. | P8  Describing the latest version of the missile, sources from Russia said the Russian Shtil-1 is a shipborne, medium-range, multi-channel, vertical-launch Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system. It provides omnidirectional collective defence of ship squadrons as well as omnidirectional individual defence of ships against attacks by enemy anti-ship missiles and aircraft Hard talk on terror at Quad meet P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi A parliamentary panel meeting on rural development and panchayati raj was postponed abruptly on Tuesday as BJP MPs boycotted it in protest against the presence of activist Medha Patkar and actorturned-activist Prakash Raj, who were invited to appear before the committee. The meeting saw stormy scenes as former Union minister and BJP MP Parshottam Rupala along with other ruling party MPs stormed out of the meeting, with some calling Patkar “anti-national”. According to sources, a BJP MP told the meeting that “Pakistan Prime Minister could have been invited for the meeting”. A BJP MP told this newspaper they were not infor med about the deposition of Patkar while panel head Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka said it is a normal practice to invite civil society members on various issues. “This is the norm. We send the names of invitees to the Speaker’s office so that TA/ DA can be arranged and the entry into Parliament. The Speaker’s office was appraised 10 days before the meeting. I didn’t get any objection from the Speaker’s office,” Ulaka said, adding that activists have been invited in the previous meetings also. The panel was to discuss the land acquisition act enacted during the tenure of the UPA government in 2013. Patkar said she was invited to appear before the panel and while she and others were waiting, they saw some MPs leave. Later, they were informed the meeting had ended, she added. SHIPBORNE SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE KEY USP Sources said that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the market borrowings by the state government. The government would raise a loan of `2,000 crore in July, `3,000 crore in August, and `3,500 crore in September. The Opposition has accused the state government of pushing Punjab into financial ruin. Till March, 2024, the state’s total outstanding debt stood at `3.82 lakh crore, which is over 44% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). A report on debt-stressed states in the country tabled in Parlia, ment by Union MoS for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary had expressed concern on the debt-toGSDP ratio of Punjab, calling it the second highest in the country . During the first two months of this fiscal April and May the , state’s revenue deficit was `5,513.65 crore and it received `12,903.04 crore in revenue receipts, while revenue expenditure stood at `18,416.69 crore. “We are raising loans at the lowest rate of interest prevailing in the market as borrowings were within the permissible limit set by RBI,” said an officer pleading of anonymity . The Quad, or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, has emerged as one of the cornerstones of India’s strategic engagements amid a volatile regional landscape. India is set to host the next Quad summit later this year. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasised the need for secure and diversified supply chains, particularly around critical minerals — a veiled reference to overdependence on China. “Countries not part of the Quad will benefit from it,” he added. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong reinforced the group’s shared vision for “peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” while Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya highlighted the “strength and unity” the Quad. X FACTOR TRUMP-MUSK FEUD US president Donald Trump threatened to deport his former ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk as the two fought over the tax bill | P9 Key Cabinet decisions on job creation, Olympics preparation `1 L CR SCHEME KHELO BHARAT TO CREATE NITI AIMS FOR 3.5 CRORE JOBS A FITTER INDIA R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai IN a bid to boost employment generation, especially in the manufacturing sector, the Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme with an outlay of `99,446 crore. The scheme is expected to create 3.5 crore jobs across the country over a two-year period, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said while announcing the scheme. Of these, 1.92 crore beneficiaries are expected to be first-time entrants into the workforce, the minister said. The benefits of the scheme will apply to jobs created between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2027. The scheme comprises two components— Part A, which targets firstHow to time employees, and Part B, qualify which incentivises employFirms with ers to create additional jobs. fewer than 50 Under Part A, first-time workers must employees registered with hire two more the Employees’ Provident workers. Fund Organisation (EPFO) Larger firms will receive support equivamust add 5 lent to one month’s EPF wage new staff and (up to `15,000), paid in two inkeep them for stalments. The first instalsix months ment will be provided after six months of continuous employment, and the second after 12 months of service. Under Part B, the scheme focuses on encouraging employers to create additional jobs across all sectors, with emphasis on manufacturing. Employers will receive incentives of up to `3,000 per month per new employee for two years, provided the employee remains in sustained employment for at least six months. For the manufacturing sector, the incentives will be extended to the third and fourth years as well. WITH the major objective of making India a sporting powerhouse and inculcating sports culture among the masses, the new Khelo Bharat Niti was approved by the Union cabinet. It will supersede the National Sports Policy of 2001. It also aims at engaging the youth of the country while trying to build a fitter India. The new Khelo Bharat Niti will aim to bring in more transparency and accountability in sports governance while driving necessary changes to usher in a robust mechanism to promote sports in our day to day lives. The policy also has 2036 Olympics in mind for which India has already entered the Promoting bidding process. According to the ministry statement, “It business lays out a visionary and straAnother key tegic roadmap to establish feature of the India as a global sporting policy is to powerhouse and a strong promote the contender for excellence at business side inter national sporting of things with events, including the 2036 Olthe sports ympic Games.” market The policy also speaks expanding about making sports part of exponentially the school curriculum. “In alignment with the National Education Policy 2020, the NSP 2025 proposes to: Integrate sports into school curricula,” said the document. Interestingly both sports , and education are state subjects. The policy , which is a guiding document for a better sports ecosystem, is aiming for establishing comprehensive sports programmes for all groups from grassroots to elite level. The policy also speaks about introducing more leagues with the help of National Sports Federations (NSFs), something the ministry has been trying to bring in for some time. Govt asks labour dept to let women do night shifts Ease of doing business A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi THE Delhi gover nment on Tuesday instructed the labour department to take immediate steps to allow women to work in night shifts, but only with their consent. It also directed the labour department to ensure all safeguards in this regard by amending the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act and issuing suitable notifications under the Factories Act. Lt-Gover nor VK Saxena, along with CM Rekha Gupta, chaired a meeting to review the status and progress of various aspects related to the flagship schemes, ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and ‘Maximum Governance - Minimum Government’, The government has directed the labour dept to ensure safeguards by amending the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act and issuing suitable notifications under the Factories Act. L-G VK Saxena and CM Rekha Gupta reviewed the status of various schemes under ‘Ease of Doing Business’. enunciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Other key decisions included amendment of Delhi Shops and Establishment Act to increase the threshold of minimum number of employees from one to 10 for applicability of the act and to allow establishments to work 24X7. Nod was also given to increase the threshold of workers from 100 to 200, in the Industrial Dispute Act, for seeking permission for closure. The fire department was asked to empanel agencies for Third Party Audit. Large commercial and industrial establishments are allowed to get NOC on the audit certificate of empaneled agencies. Small establishments may be given an option for Third Party Audit. The meeting was also of the view that lease administration for the industrial areas, also requires a fresh look in terms of ensuring better civic infrastructure and services in them. It was also stressed that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee should reduce the time to give consent to operate to 20 days, after which it should be a deemed approval. “DPCC should allow self-certification for MSME in both green and white industries,” an official said. Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood and Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa attended the meet.