SATURDAY 02 AUGUST, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard VICE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 9 PA L E S T I N I A N STATEHOOD STILL OUT OF REACH Plans announced by France, the UK and Canada to recognise a Palestinian state won’t bring one about anytime soon, though they could isolate Israel. PAGE 9 Election to the office of the Vice President was necessitated following a surprise resignation by Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21 citing ill health ELECTION COMMISSION ISSUES SCHEDULE A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS  NEW DELHI Start date of the levies pushed to August 7 41% Syria NEW RECIPROCAL TARIFF Laos, Myanmar (Burma) Switzerland 40% 39% Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Libya and South Africa Brunei, India, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tunisia Bangladesh, Taiwan, Sri Lanka , Vietnam Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Ghana, Guyana, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia. Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe 35% Iraq, Serbia, Canada 30% 25% 20% India bunched with small nations in high US duty rates D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi WITH the US embarking on a massive ‘protectionism’ era, India stands to be the biggest collateral damage of this exercise. The newly modified tariffs announced by the US government on Friday placed India among the major economies facing the highest duty rates — 25% or more. Other countries in this bracket are mostly smaller or geopolitically isolated nations such as Syria, Laos and Iraq. However, he pushed its start date to August 7, injecting a little more uncertainty . What is particularly concerning is that most ASEAN and South Asian countries — key competitors in labourintensive exports such as textiles and leather — have been spared the steep hikes. Vietnam, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia now fall in the 19–20% tariff range. While China has been excluded from the latest tariff list, an earlier executive order on May 12 mandated a 34% tariff on its goods. The current executive order says the May 12 order remains in force. This means India still technically enjoys a lower tariff than China. However, the margin has narrowed, and given China’s well-known strength in low-cost manufacturing, that slight rate difference could easily be offset by sheer scale and pricing efficiency . What has baffled many trade experts is that Vietnam, with which the US had a trade deficit of $113 billion in 2024—the largest in Asia after China—has managed to stay within the 20% bracket. That said, the order clarifies that any trans-shipments through third countries like Vietnam will attract a 40% duty . Bangladesh, another direct competitor to India in textiles, has also been placed in the 20% tariff slab. The textile sector has already sought financial help to prevent massive job losses. Pakistan, which doesn’t pose significant competition in most export sectors, has received a 19% tariff rate — a development that is seen as more of a diplomatic win for India’s western neighbour than a commercial threat. Negotiations are on, but India is unlikely to yield on issues such as GM foods and dairy products. For now, India is staring at a 25% tariff wall, unless it chooses to bend over backwards to accommodate Trump’s whims and fancies. Economists hope that developed markets like the EU and UK would help India absorb some of the shock from US tariffs. “I remain hopeful that FTAs with other large economies will help offset some of the losses... Together, the UK and Eurozone account for over 18% of India’s export value,” says Debopam Chaudhari, chief economist, Piramal Group. 19% 18% Nicaragua Brazil, Falkland Islands, United Kingdom 15% 10% Randhir Jaiswal, MEA spokesperson Arunish Chawla, DIPAM Secretary Rakesh Mehra, CITI Chairman Debopam Chaudhari, Piramal Group India and Russia have a time-tested partnership. Ties with various countries should not be seen from the prism of a third country We are doing capital review of all PSUs each week and working on strategies to insulate our economy from geopolitical risks US substantially reduce tariffs for competing nations like B’desh will compound the difficulties for India’s textile and apparel exporters FTAs with large economies such as UK and EU will hopefully help offset some of the losses arising from a slowdown in trade with the US  J8.00  PAGES 12 Ex-MP Prajwal convicted for rape R A K S H I T H G O W D A @ Bengaluru Prajwal Revanna Videos did him in The case came to light after pen drives containing explicit videos of Prajwal were circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls in 2024 A special court on Friday found former Member of Parliament from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency Prajwal Revanna guilty in a rape case filed by a domestic worker. The quantum of punishment will b e p ro n o u n c e d o n Saturday . Prajwal, grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and nephew of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, was accused of raping the 47-yearold woman from KR Nagar in Mysuru, while she was working as a domestic help at his farmhouse in Holenarasipura in Hassan. The woman, who filed her 4th year UG to function for 12 hours — 8AM to 8PM Move sparks concern among faculty & students; notification to this effect issued on July 31 Concerns over mental health Questions on faculty availability Asst profs to work 16 hrs per week; Associate prof/prof 14 hrs Ad hoc teachers won’t be allowed to teach fourth year N A M I TA B A J PA I @ Lucknow THE bodies of an Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer and his sister were found in a locked house in Ghaziabad on Thursday evening. Sources said that Avinash Kumar Singh, son of Sukhbir Singh, resident of house number H-352 in Govindpuram Colony was working with the IB in Delhi , and his sister Anjali, 23, was a student. Sources said the siblings were living with their mother while the father is at CSIR, Goa. The mother had stepped out of the house at the time of the incident. Upon returning, the mother found the door locked. She tried to contact them by phone, but received no reply She knocked on the door, but to . no avail. She thought both might be sleeping. However, when she looked through the window, she found them lying on the ground. Neighbours helped break the door open with the help of a welder and took the siblings to a hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. The family had been living in Ghaziabad for 20 years. Sources claimed that a smell of Sulphos emanated from the bodies. No suicide note was found. So, the reason for the suicide is still unclear. The mother is in shock and unable to say anything. The police have sent the bodies for post-mortem. The family refused any further police action. DCP Dhawal Jaiswal said that the investigation is on, and authorities are scanning their cellphones to find the reason for their death. M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi THE Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday published the draft electoral rolls of Bihar after completing the first phase of collecting enumeration forms as part of its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state. There were 7.93 crore registered voters in Bihar before the roll revision process began last month. More than 7.24 crore electors filled up the enumeration forms; and all were THE Enforcement Directorate has carried out search and seizure operations at three locations in the Khanpur area of the city in connection with an alleged international cyber fraud case, officials said on Friday. The searches started on Thursday night and continued till late in the evening on Friday they added. , Initial findings suggested that the premises are linked to a call centre accused of misleading foreign nationals, particularly in the US and the suspects allegedly sold pirated software under the guise of original products, officials said. “Primary investigation indicates that the call centre is being operated by people, who mislead foreign citizens based in the US by pitching fictitious or pirated software under the name of original software,” said a senior ED official. The investigators have so far uncovered funds to the tune of `100 crore received as foreign remittances over the past few years from 2016-17 to 2024-25. T h e y are now p robin g the source and movement of these funds under the provisions of the PMLA. Santhosh Gajanan Bhat of the special court for trial of criminal cases against MPs/MLAs, concluded the trial on July 18 and held Prajwal guilty of the charges. The minimum punishment for the offences committed by Prajwal is 10 years. Soon after the judge pronounced the verdict, Prajwal bowed his head and broke down. He was later escorted back to the prison under tight security His father HD Revan. na refused to react. Special Public Prosecutor Ashok Nayak said the prosecution examined 26 witnesses. “The most crucial evidence came from the victim herself that was compelling ... This is a victory against abuse of power and privilege.” DU DILEMMA IB officer, sister found dead in Ghaziabad flat Draft poll roll out; EC pans Rahul’s vote theft slur included in the draft roll. As per SIR orders, no name can be deleted from the draft electoral roll without giving a hearing to the elector. In the next one month, any elector or any political party can file claims and objections to the draft roll. Earlier, speaking to reporters outside the Parliament House, Leader of Opposition in complaint with the cyber crime police of CID on May 5, 2024, had alleged that Prajwal raped her multiple times at his Gannigada farmhouse in Holenarasipura and at Basavanagudi in Bengaluru. She had also alleged that he video-recorded the act. The state government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe this and three other cases registered against Prajwal and others, including his parents: former minister and Holenarasipura MLA HD Re v a n n a a n d B h av a n i Revanna. The SIT filed a 1,632-page chargesheet in September 2024, listing 113 witnesses. Judge FATHER SCIENTIST ED raids fake city call centres for cyber fraud PREETHA NAIR & M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi As per the schedule announced by the ECI, a notification calling the election to the post of the Vice President of India would be announced on August 7 and the last date of making nomination would be August 21, with the scrutiny of the nominations scheduled to take place on August 22. The ECI said the last date for withdrawal of nominations is August 25 | P7 Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged “vote theft by the ECI for the BJP .” “I have said vote chori is happening and now we have proof that the Election Commission is involved in it. I am saying this with 100 per cent proof. As soon as we release it, the whole country would know that EC is indulging in vote chori. It is do- ‘Got our probe done, found an atom bomb’ New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi said the Congress has proof that vote theft took place in Maharashtra and MP, and is expected in Bihar too. “We got our own investigation done. What we have found is an atom bomb,” he said ing it for the BJP,” Rahul alleged. Gandhi’s remarks evoked a sharp response from the poll panel that termed his allegations as “baseless and wild allegations”. Responding to the allegations, the EC said its primary focus remains ensuring free and fair elections. “The EC ignores such baseless allegations being made on a daily basis and, despite daily threats being given, urges all election officials to disregard such irresponsible statements and continue to work impartially P7 .” 12-hour class schedule under NEP sparks row I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi “HOW can students sit in classrooms from 8 in the morning to 8 at night?” The question echoed across Delhi University’s colleges as the institution implemented the 4th year of undergraduate studies under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 from August 1, with the rider that colleges must function for 12 hours daily . The notification came a few hours before the new academic session, sparking widespread concern among the faculty and students. They say the move is impractical, exhausting, and ignores ground realities. The university’s notification dated July 31, 2025, states that all colleges and institutions are advised to function from 8 am to 8 pm for “optimal utilisation of resources”. The move, ostensibly to accommodate the increased academic load and fac- ulty deployment, has drawn criticism from educators. “Are we turning our colleges into factories,” asked a professor at a DU college. “Students are expected to sit for 12 hours a day, five to six days a week. It’s unrealistic, especially considering the commute time, extracurricular commitments, and mental health concerns.” The 12-hour decree raises concerns about faculty availability. While the university’s Executive Council suggests staggered deployment of staff and encourages the use of guest faculty to fill gaps, teachers argue that it could compromise the quality of instruction. The notification also refers to Clause 15 of the UGC Regulation 2018 to justify additional working hours, stating that assistant professors must deliver 16 hours of direct teaching per week, and associate professors/ professors 14 hours. EXPRESS READ Encounter in Kulgam, terror plot foiled in Anantnag An encounter has erupted between terrorists and security forces in the Akhal forest area in J&K’s Kulgam district on Friday evening, while the police in a separate operation foiled a terror plot by arresting three with arms and ammunition in Anantnag. MEA denies reports of Nimisha Priya’s release The MEA on Friday rejected reports claiming that Indian nurse Nimisha Priya’s death sentence in Yemen has been revoked or that an agreement has been reached for her release. It emphasised the gravity and sensitivity of the case, urging the media to refrain from speculation. 71ST NATIONAL AWARDS First best actor honours for SRK, Vikrant Massey, Rani A K S H AY K U M A R @ Chennai SUPERSTAR Shah Rukh Khan won his maiden best actor award for Jawan, and shared the honour with Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail, at the 71st National Awards that were announced on Friday. Another first-time winner was Rani Mukerji, who bagged the best actress award for Mrs Chatterjee Vs. Norway. Hindi films were the big win- ners of this edition as Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail bagged the best feature film, and Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani won the best popular film for wholesome entertainer award. Interestingly the Ranveer Singh and , Alia Bhatt-starrer also won choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant her second national award after her maiden win in 2000 for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’s Dhol Baaje. The awards were for films released in 2023. Sam Bahadur and Animal were the other significant win- ners. While the Meghna Gulzar film won the prizes for best costume, best make-up, and best film for promoting national, social, and environmental values, the Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial won the awards for best music director — background s c o r e ( H a r s h av a r d h a n Rameshwar), best sound design (Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan Muralidharan), and a special mention for re-recording mixing by M R Rajakrishnan. The polarising Sudipto Sen film, The Kerala Story, won him his maiden award for best director and a best cinematographer nod for Prasantanu Mohapatra. Jawan also won Shilpa Rao her first award for best singer. The South representation was quite strong this year, too, as in addition to the best regional films, there were multiple winners in the major categories. CONTINUED ON P5 CHINA REVIVING TRADITION WITH BAIJIU FACELIFT Distilled from sorghum, the clear but pungent liquor contains 60% alcohol. The centuries-old fiery spirit is being reshaped to appeal to younger generations. | P9