SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard DON VOWS TO FREEZE MIGRATION FROM THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES HONG KONG BLAZE EIGHT HELD BY GRAFT WATCHDOG US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to suspend migration a day after an Afghan shot two National Guard soldiers New escalation in anti-migration stance Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog says it arrested eight people on Friday in connection with a housing estate fire that killed at least 128 people A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 GATHERING MOMENTUM 9.7 10 8 6 9.3 9.5 6.9 6 4.8 Y-o-Y growth rates (%) 8.4 8.2 7.4 7.8 6.5 6.4 5.6 4 2 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 2022-23 Q2 Q3 2023-24 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 2024-25 Q4 Q1 Q2 2025-26 At 8.2%, GDP grows at fastest pace in six qtrs year and 7% in Q1. Gross fixed capital formation — an indicaINDIA’s economy grew at 8.2% tor of infrastructure and asset in the second quarter of FY26, creation — maintained its rise beating all estimates and mark- at 7.3% versus 6.7% a year ago, ing the fastest pace in six quar- although slightly lower than the ters. This is a big jump from the 7.8% in Q1. 5.6% growth in the same “The confluence of period last fiscal. Most stable inflation, susanalysts had expected tained public capex, and the Q2 growth to be in reform momentum pothe range of 7–7.5%. sitions the economy to The strong performnavigate risks, as reance is attributed to a flected in upward reviboost in manufactursions to FY26 GDP ing, rising rural degrowth projections by mand, and sustained various agencies,” said growth of the services Chief Economic AdviThe 8.2% GDP sector. Manufacturing sor V Anantha Naggrowth is very grew at a robust 9.1% eswaran. He added that encouraging. It reflects the — more than four times India becoming a $4 impact of our the 2.2% recorded a trillion economy “as pro-growth year ago. Economists early as next year” is policies and attribute this partly to not unrealistic. reforms. It also frontloading of exports reflects the hard The government has to the US ahead of the highlighted the role rework and 50% tariff increase. enterprise of ductions in GST rates our people Construction also played in lowering the saw healthy expansion, Narendra Modi, PM cost of goods and servgrowing at 7.2%. The ices, supporting conservices sector continsumption and expandued its positive momentum, ing the tax base. clocking 9.2% growth in Q2 H o w e v e r, e c o n o m i s t s compared to 7.2% a year cautioned that slower nominal earlier. g rowth could pose risks. Private consumption re- Nominal GDP grew 8.7% in Q2, mained strong with 7.9% reaching an estimated `85.25 growth, compared to 6.4% last lakh crore. P10 P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi Group housing societies to be revamped: DDA  NEW DELHI  J8.00  Trump’s social media post, which also threatened to reverse ‘millions’ of admissions granted under his predecessor Joe Biden, marks a new escalation in the anti-migration stance. Trump said earlier that Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member deployed in Washington as part of his crackdown on crimes, had died from wounds | P9 PAGES 12 Putin visit to boost defence ties M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi DEFENCE negotiations will be the key agenda of Russian President Vladmir Putin’s visit to India from December 4 to 5, which is expected to take the strategic bilateral ties to the next level. Announcing the two-day visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday that Putin is coming to hold the annual India-Russia summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit will give an opportunity for the two leaders to review the progress in bilateral relations, set the vision to strengthen the ‘special and privileged strategic partnership’ and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the MEA said. Terming it a “visit of great importance”, the Kremlin said the current geopolitical issues will also come up in talks. The focus of the summit will be “broader elements of cooperation on defence”, said Defence Secretary R K Singh said while speaking at an event in Delhi on Friday. He said the strategic S-400 air defence systems may be on the table though no announcements are likely. “This meeting will focus on the larger defence partnership and resolving delivery delays,” he said. The S-400 played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor as it successfully targeted multiple Pakistani fighters and aircraft deep inside Pakistan. India has already signed contracts for the S-400 systems with Russia, but deliveries have faced delays. Singh confirmed that Russia has promised to deliver the remaining equipment in the financial year 2026-27. KAPIL SHARMA CYCLONE LOCATED 320 KM SOUTH OF KARAIKAL RED ALERT IN FIVE TN DISTRICTS HIGH WIND WARNING IN COASTAL REGIONS Key plotter of Canada cafe firing arrested E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi SRI LANKA TAMIL NADU A man wades through floodwater outside his house following heavy rainfall in Kaduwela on the outskirts of Colombo on Friday | AFP A coastal road chipped away by crashing waves in Rameswaram as the government asks people to stay indoors | EXPRESS | P5 80 DEAD IN SRI LANKA J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi AT least 80 people have died and many remain missing till Friday night in Sri Lanka, which is bearing the brunt of massive destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah. With torrential rains, landslides and floods displacing thousands in the island nation, India has launched a swift humanitarian response for the island nation. New Delhi has rushed emergency relief under Operation Sagar Bandhu, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveying condolences and stressing India’s commitment to stand by its closest maritime neighbour in its hour of distress. By Friday evening, Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre said the cyclone had affected 43,991 people. Many regions of the c o u n t r y re m a i n s u b merged and inaccessible, with officials warning that rising water levels in the Kelani and Attanagalu rivers pose a grave threat to Colombo and the populous Gampaha district. Outages have hit nearly a third of the region, and two major hydropower plants have been shut down. Responding to the escalating crisis, India has dispatched 4.5 tonnes of dry rations and 2 tonnes of fresh rations, including staple foods, ready-to-eat meals, dairy products. and other essential provisions. Additional survival supplies have also been handed over. The relief consignments were delivered by INS Vikrant and I N S U d aya g i r i , b o t h docked in Sri Lanka, an official release said. Ditwah is likely to reach southwest Bay of Bengal near north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh by November 30, IMD said. A 28-year-old alleged member of Goldy Dhillon gang has been arrested in connection with a shooting incident outside comedian Kapil Sharma’s café in Canada’s Surrey police said on Friday Bandhu Maan Singh , . Sekhon, a resident of Ludhiana, was the key strategist responsible for planning, executing, and providing logistics support for firing at Kap’s Café. He had fled to India following a crackdown by Surrey Police in which several of his associates were arrested. The arrest follows the earlier capture of two aides of international fugitive Pharma gangster Sonu Khatri with seizure of company eight foreign-made semi-automatic pis- Sekhon tols, along with 84 live cartridges. They travelled to revealed that one pistol had been deliv- Canada on ered to Sekhon, establishing his role in Sep 13 on a the cross-border arms supply ring job visa and linked to fugitive gangster Sonu Khatri, was residing currently operating from the US. at Brampton. Acting on a tip-off, Sekhon was He worked in nabbed from Ludhiana. He disclosed a pharma about receiving illegal weapon which firm before was recovered from his car and his role joining gang. in a series of firing at Kap’s café, DCP (Crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said. Kap’s Café has been the target of three firing incidents since its opening in July The first attack took . place on July 10. Initially Harjit Singh Laddi of Kha, listani terror group Babbar Khalsa International claimed the responsibility Later, foreign-based gang. ster Goldy Dhillon also claimed responsibility . On August 7, the second attack occurred and the responsibility was claimed jointly by gangsters Goldy Dhillon and Kulveer Sidhu. The third incident occurred on October 16. Solar panel along highways to check pollution A D I T I R AY C H O W D H U R Y @ New Delhi PA R V E Z S U LTA N @ New Delhi THE Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has issued a public notice inviting stakeholders to participate in consultations regarding the redevelopment of cooperative group housing complexes, DDA-developed group housing complexes, and complexes developed by government agencies in the national capital. This is a comprehensive initiative that, in the coming years, can change the way people live in the city . The DDA proposes to undertake the major redevelopment in order to make group housing societies and other structures safer, more resilient, and compliant with modern building laws, the 2021 Master Plan for Delhi, and the National Transit Oriented Development policy, which promotes mixed-use development in urban centres. The DDA has invited residents’ welfare associations, cooperative group housing societies, real estate developers, and public sector undertakings to participate in consultation scheduled for December 11. Stakeholders, however, offer caution. Paras Tyagi, president of advocacy organisation Centre for Youth, Culture, Law, and Environment, says, “Before talking about high-rises everywhere, has the DDA considered seismic studies of these areas? Are seismic experts part of these discussions?” THE Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed installing solar panels along national highways, beginning with a pilot on the under-construction Delhi– Dehradun Expressway. The move aligns with India’s targets of achieving 500 GW of nonfossil fuel capacity by 2030 and Net Zero emissions by 2070. The pilot will cover a 14.75 km stretch of NH-709B, including a 6.9km elevated section from Akshardham to DLF Ankur Vihar on Delhi–UP border. Speaking at Delhi Dialogues, the interactive session organised by this newspaper, MoS Harsh Malhotra said the BRACE! Rosan Kujur (R) scored twice as India defeated Chile 7–0 in the Junior Hockey World Cup on Friday | ASHWIN PRASATH | P11 Delhi-Dehradun Expressway to cut travel time to 2.5 hours Includes a spur to Haridwar and links to Char Dham Highway GREEN WAYS `12,000 CR COST The expressway features rainwater harvesting every 500 m & over 400 recharge points Final 20 kms run through Rajaji National Park, featuring Asia’s longest elevated wildlife corridor (12 km) and 340 m Dat Kali tunnel initiative could reshape how highways are built and powered. Based on the outcome, the government plans to replicate the model across highways in several states, he said. Earlier this month, NHAI signed an MoU with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to collaborate on renewable energy solutions for high- ways, including solar, wind, hybrid power, green hydrogen, and storage systems. The partnership aims to make transport infra greener, he said. The pilot project, estimated at `1,479.22 crore, is expected to generate up to 7 MW of solar power. It will be commissioned within 18 months and run on a 25-year power agreement. SC frees woman jailed for changing six lawyers U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court has ordered the release of a woman jailed by a lower court for changing her lawyers six times during an appeal in a cheque bounce case, describing the order as “appalling and shocking.” The case involves two dishonoured cheques issued by the woman’s mother, worth `7 lakh and `5.02 lakh respectively The trial court convicted . and sentenced both the mother and daughter. The woman subsequently filed an appeal before the sessions court in Faridabad, which has been pending for eight years, the bench noted. Meanwhile, the sessions court cancelled their bail and ordered their custody. The mother and daughter challenged this decision in the high court and later the Supreme Court. A bench comprising Justices Arvind Kumar and N V Anjaria, in an order dated November 27, noted that the mother had passed away, but the appellate court had not accepted her death certificate. The sessions court directed the concerned Station House Officer to verify the legitimacy of the certifi- cate. The bench observed that if the lawyer was not assisting the court, the proper action would have been to appoint an amicus curiae or allow the accused time to arrange alternate counsel — not to jail her. The court ordered the woman’s release on a personal bond of `1 lakh.“It is appalling and shocking that the appellate court insisted on the appellant’s presence on every hearing date, particularly after suspending the sentence already passed,” the bench said. SECI has submitted a draft Request for Selection for developers, and a Joint Working Committee is being set up to monitor progress and chart a national rollout. The agency will conduct feasibility studies, manage bidding for renewable energy procurement, oversee project development and invest in EV charging infra. NHAI will make land available for the charging stations. The 210km Delhi–Dehradun Expressway is set to open next month, Malhotra said. The access-controlled corridor, with a 100kmph speed limit, runs from Akshardham Temple through Baghpat, Baraut, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Saharanpur before ending in Dehradun. EXPRESS READ Nitish releases `10k each to 10 lakh women Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday transferred another instalment of `10,000 each to the accounts of 10 lakh more women under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana. Professor held for role in U’khand paper leak The CBI, on Friday, arrested a professor for her alleged role in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission paper leak case. In a 1st, 300 pvt docs for OPDs at Punjab hosps H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh THE Punjab government has decided to empanel around 300 private specialist doctors across 12 disciplines to combat the severe shortage in public health care institutes. There is shortage of around 900 specialist doctors across all disciplines. According to sources, the private doctors will get `100 per patient for examining a pateint in outpatient and in-patient departments. However, each doctor will be allowed to examine not more than 150 patients in OPD and 20 in IPD. The empanelment will be done at the district level through civil surgeons, and the empanelled specialist will be asked to provide services, like OPD, IPD, emergency calls, major and minor surgeries and procedures, among others. Earlier, general practitioners were empanelled for Aam Aadmi Clinics. The specialties are now meant for hospitals. This step is likely to augment specialists’ availability significantly and improve the quality of secondary healthcare. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said if government doctors are asked to extend their duty hours, they will get `1,000 for each instance.