BJP emerges the largest party in maharashtra local body polls mondAY 22 The BJP won 129 out of 288 nagar parishads in the Maharashtra local body polls, even as the Opposition alleged foul play december, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Israel 19 new West Bank settlements Israel’s Cabinet approved a proposal for 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, the far-right finance minister said on Sunday Page 9 poor show by Maha vikas Aghadi continues A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS India seeks action on B’desh lynching Suspends visa ops at Chattogram until further notice JAYA N T H JAC O B @ New Delhi INDIA on Sunday expressed deep concern over the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh and urged Dhaka to ensure swift justice as escalating unrest prompted New Delhi to suspend visa operations in the port city of Chattogram. Reacting to a question related to the killing of 27-year-old Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it is closely monitoring the situation and has taken up the matter with Bangladeshi authorities. “India continues to keep a close watch on the evolving situation in Bangladesh. Our officials remain in touch with Bangladesh authorities and have conveyed to them our strong concerns at the attacks on minorities,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The killing of Das, a garment factory worker, occurred amid widespread violence that erupted after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader of last year’s student uprising and a candidate in the February 12 general election. Hadi’s shooting earlier this month sparked protests, vandalism and attacks across several parts of Bangladesh. Das’s father Ravilal Das said his son was beaten, tied to a tree, and set on fire by a mob. Against the backdrop of rising tensions, India has suspended visa operations at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Chattogram until further notice. The decision fol- l New Delhi lows a security incident involving stone-hurling at the residence of the Assistant High Commissioner of India in the city “Due to recent security in. cident at Assistant High Commission of India Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the IVAC said, adding that reopening would be announced after a review of the security situation. Officials said the remaining four visa centres—in Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet— continue to function. India had briefly shut visa centres in Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Khulna last week after anti-India protesters attempted to march towards Indian missions. Operations in Dhaka resumed a day later, while security was tightened at Indian facilities in Sylhet on December 20. p7 12 arrested so far, say reports With 2 more arrests on Sunday, police have so far detained 12 people for the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, media reports said No breach at B’desh HC: MEA MEA said on Sunday that reports of security breach at Dhaka’s mission in Delhi are “misleading propaganda” RAJ E S H K U M AR T H A K U R @ New Delhi THE Ministry of Railways on Sunday announced its second fare hike this year, expected to generate approximately `600 crore in additional revenue by March 31, 2026. Under the revised structure effective December 26, rail fares will increase by one paisa per km in ordinary class for journeys exceeding 215 km, two paise per km in mail and express non-AC classes, and two paise per km in AC classes. Passengers travelling 500 km in non- President gives assent to new rural jobs bill e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi PRESIDENT Droupadi Murmu on Sunday gave her assent to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The new Act, passed amid fierce Opposition protests, guarantees 125 days of employment annually to rural households—25 days more than MGNREGA. Under a revised cost-sharing formula, states will contribute 40 percent while the Centre bears 60 percent. According to a Rashtrapati Bhawan communiqué, the legislation establishes a rural development framework aligned with the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ vision. The Rural Development Ministry stated it “strengthens income security, modernises governance and links wage employment with creation of rural assets”. High command not reason behind K’taka tussle: Kharge E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru All-India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday sought to downplay the reported leadership tussle within the party in the state, asserting that the “confusion” is at the state level and not created by the party high command. He urged local leaders to take responsibility and resolve internal issues, underlining that Congress is built by its workers and not by any single individual. He told the media that the party leadership in Delhi has not fuelled any dispute between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar. “Issues, if any, must be sorted out locally The . high command has not created any confusion,” he said, calling for unity and discipline within the party . He also launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the proposed changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which he said has effectively been replaced by the VB-G RAM G Act. Describing MGNREGA as a “lifeline for the poor,” he accused the Centre of deliberately weakening the scheme to harm rural workers. He criticised the reduction in the Centre–state funding ratio from 90:10 to 60:40, alleging that the move was aimed at making the poor “slaves of the rich”. Announcing nationwide protests, he said the Congress will lead an agitation against the changes. cold play A child sits near a stove to stay warm on a wintry Delhi morning, as cold day conditions, dense fog, and stagnant winds bring hardship for common people, especially the homeless | PTI | P3 Gurugram offices asked to allow work from home after GRAP IV H a r p r ee t Ba j wa @ Chandigarh Private institutions and corporate offices have been asked to encourage employees to work from home from Monday, until further instructions. The Gurugram Administration has also revised government office timings, following the invocation of Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)’s Stage IV measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The advisory follows a sharp deterioration in air quality across the National Capital Region, with authorities tightening controls to limit emissions and prevent further deteriora- J8.00 l PAGES 12 Shell out more for train travel from Dec 26 gramin act Students during a silent protest to condemn the lynching of a Hindu man at Dhaka University. Inset: Dipu Chandra Das | AFP / x l The BJP’s alliance partner Shiv Sena won 51 nagar parishads, while the NCP secured 32. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi won just 52, with the Congress accounting for 35 and the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP(SP) winning nine and eight, respectively. “Grateful to the people of Maharashtra for blessing the BJP and Mahayuti,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X | p8 tion in air quality . Deputy commissioner of Gurugram Ajay Kumar asked private offices to adopt work-fromhome arrangements and ordered staggered office timings for all public offices to reduce vehicular emissions in order to ensure compliance with GRAP IV . In a bid to combat air pollution, the Delhi government has allocated 60% additional funds in the current budget, with special focus on expansion of the Delhi Metro. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that an allocation of `9,110 crore has been made in the 2025–26 budget, and adequate provisions have been made for the expansion project. Funds for Delhi Metro expansion Delhi govt has allocated 60% extra funds in the current budget for the public transport system, with focus on the expansion Delhi Metro, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said, adding that earmarking `9,110 cr in 2025–26 reflects govt’s focust on Metro. Passenger 651 cr traffic 553 cr 609 cr 270 cr 99 cr 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 AC coaches will pay `10 extra. No increase will apply to suburban services or monthly season tickets. This follows the first hike an- nounced on June 30 and implemented from July 1, which has generated `700 crore so far. The last hike in July came ahead of Bihar elections, while the second hike an- nounced on Sunday comes ahead of Assembly elections in West Bengal. Railway officials justified the fare revision citing rising operational costs. Manpower expenses were `1,15,000 crore, pension costs `60,000 crore, and total operations `2,63,000 crore in 2024-25. The ministry said the railways is focusing on higher cargo loading alongside fare rationalisation. With a record of 1,617 MT freight till October 2025, the Railways is now the second largest freight network in the world. Army to procure 1 Lakh indigenous 9mm pistols M aya nk S i n g h @ New Delhi The government has issued a request for information (RFI) to procure one lakh indigenous 9-mm pistols for the Indian Army Nine-mm pis. tols are lighter and are particularly suited for close-range combat or urban warfare. According to the RFI issued by the Ministry of Defence, the government is also seeking to procure accessories, including night sights and targeting options. The plan is to replace the existing 9-mm semi-automatic, magazine-fed pistol from Rifle Factory Ishapore. The new pistols are expected to fea- ture ambidextrous controls, suppressors and accessory rails to modernise older weapons. Currently, troops in special force units of the Army use imported 9-mm pistols. The DRDO and the Indian Army have already designed a 9-mm weapon for counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations, incorporating 3D-printed parts and a high rate of fire. As per the RFI, the 9-mm pistol should function day and night in common weather conditions across all terrains. It should also be operational in temperatures ranging from –30 to 55 degrees Celsius. SMoggy AQI woes in city The City Team visited seven AQI monitoring stations in the capital and found that official weather health data did not reflect the situation on the ground | P4