FRIDAY 31 JULY, 2026 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard FIFA PRESIDENT GIANNI INFANTINO MIGRANT CRISIS EUROPEAN NATIONS AGREE TO BOYCOTT FIFA COMPETITIONS THOUSANDS STORM SPANISH ENCLAVE Thousands of migrants from Morocco—most of them young men—streamed into the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta on Thursday, sparking concern A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 FIR against protester in Noida A zero FIR has been registered in Noida against a woman for allegedly using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, police said on Thursday  NEW DELHI HC penalty on false complaints In the first penal action against NEET-UG retest students who filed false complaints alleging tampered OMR (answer) sheets, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has imposed a fine of `5,000 each | P8 Pellet guns can be used in exceptional cases, says SC Directs govt to preserve ammunition log of the Rapid Action Force S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Thursday said pellet guns cannot be banned as long as the existing advisory permits their use for crowd control in exceptional circumstances by security agencies, while making it clear that allegations of specific misuse can be examined on a caseby-case basis. The court was hearing a plea on the use of metallic pellet guns during the recent students’ protests against NEET -UG paper leak in Delhi. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana also asked the Centre to preserve the ammunition log of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) deployed at the Jantar Mantar. Observing that police, as per the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) advisory are empowered to use pel, let guns in exceptional situations, the bench termed the demand in the plea for a complete ban on such usage as vague. “Prayers are not to use pellet guns. In exceptional cases, police regulations permit the use of pellet guns. If you are interested in phasing out pellet guns, you will have to challenge that very provision as ultra vires to Article 21 (right to life),” Justice Ba gchi observed. The bench also took note of submissions of senior advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for the petitioners, and asked the Delhi government to provide the best treatment to Prashant Kumar, Sheikh Irshad Mansoori and others who suffered pellet gun injuries during the July 20 protest. Former Central Information Commissioner and retired IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad and the two victims had moved the court seeking a ban on the use of metallic pellet guns to deal with law and order situations. The petition also sought compensation, medical treatment and rehabilitation for those injured in the Delhi protests. Grover said,“There can be rubber, plastic and metallic pellets. These were metallic and recovered from the bodies...” She added that she confining her reliefs to metallic pellets. Justice Bagchi said the court is “not averse to examining the use of pellets in individual use”. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the forces may have to take on-the-spot decision based on the event.  J8.00  PAGES 12 UEFA and its member nations have agreed to boycott FIFA events if the global body goes ahead with its plans for privatisation INFANTINO PLAN FACES MAJOR BACKLASH FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the WC to private equity investors was hit hard on Thursday by his former colleagues at UEFA, who agreed to boycott all the FIFA competitions in protest. “UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions,” the European body said after an online meeting of its 55 member nations Wasia back on boil, Modi takes stock M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired the fourth special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review the evolving situation arising from the ongoing conflict in West Asia and assess the preparedness of various ministries to mitigate its impact. Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan briefed the committee on the geopolitical situation and outlined measures taken to safeguard the country’s energy security and ensure uninterrupted supplies of petroleum products, including LNG, LPG and fertilisers. Somanathan said the government has diversified sources for LPG procurement, while overall stocks and supplies of Two tankers with Saudi crude headed for India Two tankers carrying Saudi crude for India exited the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by sailing “dark” after Houthis in Yemen announced a blockade on Saudi shipments, a Reuters report said. Tankers Amazon and Rodos loaded with 17 lakh barrels of crude switched off their transponders, the report said | P9 major petroleum products remain adequate. “Sufficient availability of crude oil has enabled state-owned refineries to operate at 100% capacity, ensuring continued production of petrol, diesel and other essential fuels,” he said. The CCS was briefed on steps to reduce dependence on LPG through the expansion of the piped natural gas network. “The government is accelerating the rollout of the National Gas Grid, augmenting LNG import and regasification capacity, expanding City Gas Distribution networks and fast-tracking pipeline and last-mile connectivity approvals,” a statement said. The committee also reviewed fertiliser availability ahead of the upcoming Rabi season, with discussions focusing on meeting projected demand and identifying alternative sourcing options. HOUSEHOLD INDEBTEDNESS Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge during a debate on the bill | PTI PAPER LEAK BILL CLEARS RS The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means)Amendment Bill, 2026 by a voice vote amid an Opposition walkout. The legislation had been approved by the Lok Sabha a day earlier. Reiterating the government’s “zero tolerance” policy towards paper leaks, Dr Jitendra Singh said no one would be allowed to jeopardise the future of the country’s youth. Leading the Opposition side of the debate on the bill, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge linked the Bill to recent nationwide student protests, stating that the amendment had been introduced only after sustained pressure from the Congress and Opposition parties | P7 City govt not to pursue cases against protesters without criminal history E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi THE Delhi government has announced that it will not pursue any further adverse legal action against people involved in protests over the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, while making it clear that the relief will not be for those with criminal antecedents. A Home Department order on Thursday said that individuals detained or arrested during the agitation would be released after a review, which would be carried out fast. “The Delhi government does not propose to take any further adverse action against the individuals involved in the protests, and the matter shall be treated as closed without any future proceedings on this account. This is issued with the approval of the Lieutenant Governor,” the order stated. The decision follows similar moves by Bihar and Assam after the CJP called off its agitation following Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Union Education Minister. The Delhi government also directed authorities to expedite the review process in cases where arrests or detentions had already taken place. The protests turned violent on July 20 during a march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament. Anticipating unrest, Delhi Police had deployed large numbers of personnel, paramilitary forces, barricades, anti-riot equipment and network jammers across the New Delhi district and other sensitive locations. Police had maintained that no permission had been sought for the march towards Parliament and said protesters would not be allowed to enter the highsecurity zone. According to police, several thousand protesters attempted to breach barricades at multiple locations in and around Parliament, leading to clashes with security personnel. Tear gas shells and lathicharge were used after repeated appeals to maintain order failed, while protesters allegedly resorted to stone-pelting and damaged public property P3 . Big credit demand shift from asset ownership to consumption: Report B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai INDICATING the rising indebtedness of households, credit demand in India has been moving away from asset ownership to consumptiondriven loans, data released by credit bureau Transunion CIBIL on Thursday showed. As of March 2026, consumption is the largest sector for loans at 51%, up from 34% in March 2017. India’s overall retail loan size is estimated at over `170 lakh crore. According to RBI data, formal loan systems saw a significant surge in FY26, marking a revival in borrowing demand. Net incremental credit expanded by `44.6 lakh crore to `311 lakh crore. Of this, bank credit constituted `212 lakh crore and non-bank CREDIT WORTHY India’s overall retail loan size is estimated at over `170 lakh crore Among credit-active borrowers, consumption loans make up for 51% of retail credit; vehicle loans come in second, at 18% Unsecured biz loans rose to 21% in Mar 2026 from 4% in Mar 2017 Share of new borrowers in overall credit dropped to 13% in FY26 from 32% in FY17. This shows lenders focus on existing borrowers credit `99 lakh crore. According to the latest report, vehicle loans among credit-active borrowers make up for the second largest category of credit at 18%. The share of new-to-credit borrowers has gone down to 13% in FY26 from 32% in FY17. This indicates that the credit universe is maturing, with lenders concentrating on existing customers rather than first-time borrowers. The report shows that credit behaviour among borrowers has changed dramatically , especially since the Covid pandemic, with credit moving from asset ownership such as homes towards consumption (consumer durables) and entrepreneurship. “Consumer durable loans are the biggest growth drivers for the Gen Z universe. Now purchasing a mobile phone on credit is the most important factor for them. Prior to Covid, it was the twowheeler,” said Bhavesh Jain, managing director of Transunion CIBIL. EYES ON TARGET, NEERAJ MARCHES ON M Sreeshankar (L) celebrates with his long jump silver late on Wednesday. (R) Neeraj Chopra booked his spot in the men’s javelin final with a throw of 79.61m on Thursday. Rohit Yadav (78.37m) and Yash Vir Singh (78.36m) also qualified | AP/PTI | P11 The welfare of Indian seafarers serving on both domestic and foreign-flagged vessels operating in conflict zones also figured in the deliberations. Modi directed officials to establish a dedicated mechanism for providing timely information, emergency assistance and counselling to affected seafarers and their families. Emphasising the need to safeguard Indian citizens and the diaspora from the fallout of the conflict, the PM called for sustained coordination across ministries and agencies. He further directed that a unified and coordinated monitoring mechanism should be put in place to track developments in West Asia on a regular basis and ensure swift implementation of measures to protect national interest. Property records in capital to get Aadhaar IDs A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi JUST as every citizen has an Aadhaar card, properties in Delhi may soon get their own unique digital identity through a Property Aadhaar Card, with the Delhi government preparing a law to bring every property record in the Capital onto a secure digital platform. The government will introduce the Delhi Land Records Bill, 2026, to create a modern, transparent and dispute-free proper ty records system through a scientific survey and digital mapping exercise. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the new system will give every property in Delhi a trusted and authentic digital identity She said the initiative will . make property records more organised and technologically secure. The government will convene a special session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly for passing the bill, which has undergone detailed review by the Group of Ministers and is currently in the approval process. Under the proposed law, every property in the National Capital Territory will undergo a comprehensive survey using modern technology, including drone surveys and digital mapping. A digital record will be prepared for every floor of every building, covering residential, commercial and other categories of properties. Each property will then be assigned a Unique Property ID through its Property Aadhaar Card. The initiative will build on the Delhi government’s experience under the Centre’s SVAMITVA scheme, under which smart property cards were prepared for 30 rural villages using support from the Survey of India. The pilot project helped reduce chances of future land disputes. EXPRESS READ HOCKEY JERSEY BLUES India raises seafarers’ security with Ukraine FM Criticism from all quarters as India change colour to orange External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has condemned attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea during a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, as concerns grow over Indian seafarers’ safety. The conversation comes against the backdrop of a series of attacks on merchant vessels involving Indian crew. Palam fire likely caused by faulty MCB A magisterial inquiry into the fire incident at a residential building in Palam that claimed nine lives in March has concluded that the blaze most likely started due to an electrical short circuit near the building’s MCB box. The report, submitted to the Delhi government, said the exact cause of the fire could not be conclusively established. Himachal border trade with China to resume After a gap of six years, the Indo-China border trade via the Shipki La, a strategic pass at an altitude of 3,930 meters in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, is set to commence on August 1. The trade route was set to pen by June 1, but was delayed due to pending modalities about immigration procedures. S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Bengaluru WHAT’S in a colour? For a sports team, it’s everything; a lifeblood. It gives them a sense of pride, belonging and an identity It is this identity that . Hockey India (HI) has changed with less than three weeks to go for the next edition of the World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands. At the quadrennial event, both senior teams will swap their iconic blue jerseys to wear one bathed in saffron. On Thursday, a few days after Hockey India (HI) quietly made it known via a press release, the issue made a huge noise right from Parliament to X, where a former India captain, Viren Rasquinha, termed the change ‘embarrassing’. V Baskaran, who led India to gold at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, can only laugh. “Blue isn’t just a colour for Indian hockey and our fans,” he tells this daily. “It’s an emotion.” The comments that Rasquinha had received on his X feed were also clearly political. “I’m see- ing many unnecessary political comments on this,” he said while sharing an earlier comment he had made on the issue. “I don’t want to get into any of that. My simple & humble point is on pride, identity & legacy. India is to hockey what Argentina is to Football. Will we ever see Argentina wearing Orange and White stripes as their 1st jersey?” The federation, via another press release on Thursday said the change was ‘based , on support staff and players’ recommendations and detailed consultations with them’. And was necessitated because of the blue astro-turf. “But this saffron colour and new design is not the final one. This is for the upcoming World Cup and Asian Games but we will keep taking feedback from the players and coaches,” HI president Dilip Tirkey told this daily P11 .