chennai l sunday l september 20, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l vellore EDITION Aadhaar authentication must for subsidised LPG from Oct 1 Domestic LPG consumers will have to complete Aadhaar authentication to book subsidised refills from October 1, the government said Measure to Prevent diversion, says govt 90% consumers completed authentication The government said the authentication drive, underway since 2023, is aimed at preventing diversion of subsidised domestic cylinders for commercial and industrial use, as well as eliminating duplicate and ineligible connections. Those unwilling to complete biometric authentication will still be able to receive LPG, but without subsidy ■ ■ As of Saturday, 27.43 crore active domestic LPG consumers, or 89.9% of the total, had completed biometric Aadhaar authentication, according to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry Consumers can complete authentication during LPG delivery or through mobile apps of state-owned oil marketing companies `30,000 cr Compensation paid by government for subsided LPG in 2025-26 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Double whammy as Trump extends H-1B fee, signs Russia sanctions Act Legislation authorises US prez to slap up to 100% tariff on India, others over Russian crude buy D i pa k M o n d al @ New Delhi WITH THIS ISSUE Essay The Republic of the Plate PLUS 12 P AGES US President Donald Trump late Friday (US time) signed the controversial ‘Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026’, authorising US to impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports from the five largest foreign buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, putting India and China at direct risk of penalties. The Act provides for property-blocking sanctions on foreign vessels that knowingly transport certain Russianorigin products, including crude oil, uranium and coal. The US Senate passed the Bill on August 7, while the House of Representatives approved it on September 16. The law will take effect within 30 days. During this period, the US Trade Representative will identify countries to be targeted and recommend tariff rates. The law provides a chance to countries to reduce Russian energy purchases within 180 days and negotiate with US for a lower tariff. Apart from China and India, Turkiye, EU and Myanmar are other three top importers of Russian crude. India, which sourced around 30% of its crude oil imports from Russia in FY2026 — $40.8 billion out of total crude imports of $134.7 billion — now faces the risk of tariffs of up to 100% on its exports to the US. India has maintained it will take necessary measures to protect its economic interests. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier said the law could have affect bilateral ties and international energy market. “This issue has been discussed at high levels in recent months with various US interlocutors. Its potential implications for not just the bilateral relationship but also the international energy market have been very clearly articulated by the Indian side. The Indian side has made clear its determination to take all necessary measures to protect its trade and economic interests,” the MEA said. India, negotiating a trade deal with the US, faces 10% additional tariff over MFN rates under Section 301. Dr Manoranjan Sharma, Chief Economist, Infomerics Ratings, said the signing of the Bill by the US President does not automatically trigger an across-the-board levy on India, but the threat of higher tariffs has become a potent instrument of economic, geopolitical pressure. Trade and geopolitical analysts said India should negotiate with US to limit the law’s impact. “New Delhi should seek product-specific exclusions, tariff-rate quotas, transition periods, a phased reduction in Russian crude purchases and a clear ceiling below the 100% maximum. The waiver provision in the US law creates diplomatic space; India should use it,” an analyst said. China, US to hold talks Top US and Chinese negotiators will hold final preparatory talks in Washington from Saturday, including on tariffs, ahead of President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to the United States for a summit with his counterpart Donald Trump, the commerce ministry in Beijing said. An extension of the 2025 Proclamation will continue to protect the economic and national security interests of the United States Donald Trump $100K H-1B visa fee blocked by federal court, faces appeal J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump has extended the measure requiring a $100,000 fee on employers for new H-1B visa applications by another year, the White House said. Trump, who has intensified his immigration crackdown, has repeatedly attacked the H-1B programme and pushed to make the $100,000 fee permanent, up from the existing $2,000–$5,000 range. The move, however, has also been caught in legal tangles. “The restrictions enacted by the 2025 Proclamation have proven to be highly effective but the underlying conditions necessitating the restrictions persist. It is therefore in the interests of US to extend the 2025 Proclamation for an additional 12 months, until 12.00 am eastern daylight time on September 21, 2027. Under the renewed measure, employers sponsoring certain H-1B workers who are outside US must make the $100,000 payment before filing the relevant petition,” the proclamation said. The policy is particularly consequential for Indian professionals. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services data shows 71% of approved H-1B petitions in fiscal 2024 involved beneficiaries born in India, compared with 11.7% born in China.The H-1B programme, created by Congress in 1990, enables US employers to temporarily employ foreign professionals in specialised occupations. It is heavily used by technology companies and has become an important mode for recruiting workers from India and China. The extension comes amid legal challenges. A federal judge blocked the $100,000 requirement in June 2026 and ruled that the administration lacked authority to impose the payment, according to Reuters. The government is appealing that decision. Business groups have argued H-1Bs help companies fill specialised roles where they cannot readily find qualified US workers. Critics, including the Trump administration, contend some employers use the programme to suppress wages or displace American workers. `50-cr temple land fraud: DMK man, 5 others booked e x p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ Tiruchy The Tiruchy City Crime Branch police have registered a case against a DMK functionary and five others over the alleged illegal sale of 7,515 sq ft of land, belonging to the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, valued at `50 crore using fraudulent documents. The FIR was registered on September 13 under Sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120(B) of the IPC, relating to cheating, forgery, use of forged docu- ments and criminal conspiracy . The case stems from the alleged sale of the land in December 2022 and was registered based on a complaint by S Sivaramkumar, joint commissioner of the Srirangam temple. The suspects have been identified as Srirangam DMK area secretary M Ramkumar, Vijaya Krishnasamy of Bengaluru, Padma Rengarajan and R Soundararajan of Chennai, R Venkata Varadhan, and the then Srirangam sub-registrar. A DMK office currently occupies a portion of the disputed land parcel. Speaking to reporters in Tiruchy on Saturday, HR&CE Minister S Ramesh accused the DMK of engaging in “scientific corruption”. Indirectly referring to former DMK minister PK Sekarbabu’s recent reference in the Assembly to the saying “Sivan sothu kula naasam” (stealing God’s property will ‘System’ suppressing voices of students, claims Rahul P r e e t h a n a i r @ Indore Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the ‘system’ is suppressing students and does not want them to raise questions about unemployment and examination irregularities. Addressing a huge gathering of students at the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Indore, Rahul said the very institutions created to support students and protect universities and colleges are now working against them. “The system has captured the entire country. It does not want students to raise questions,” he said. “Students are asking questions about the system, including about certain industrialists, but the Andhbhakts oppose them. Only students can wipe out violence and hatred from the country, not Andhbhakts.” He said nearly 10 lakh teach- Rahul Gandhi interacts with a student upon his arrival at Indore airport | PTI ing posts were vacant across the country and this reflected the government’s failure to protect the future of the youth. “The students are the foundation of the country Students . make the country And as I said . earlier, education is not a luxury. Education is not a favour. Education is the right of every student in India,” he said. He charged that the system does not want the judiciary the , bureaucracy the Election Com, mission and other institutions to function independently . He claimed that the six people who run the system are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and two billionaire businessmen, Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani. “The country is completely under their grip,” he alleged. Rahul offered to join an ongoing protest by candidates awaiting teacher jobs in Madhya Pradesh. Students told Rahul that several candidates who had cleared the state government examinations were still awaiting appointment because recruitment for 13% of the posts had been put on hold following a legal dispute. ruin the family), Ramesh questioned how temple land belonging to Perumal could have been transferred to a party functionary, who then constructed a party office on the property . According to the FIR, the 7,515 sq ft parcel is part of a larger 5.87-acre property in Vellithirumutham village belonging to the temple. Historical settlement records and other documents establish the temple’s ownership of the property, the temple administration said.  P5 Land sold in 2022 Case stems from the alleged sale of the land in Dec 2022 and was registered based on a complaint by the joint commissioner of Srirangam temple Fair skin, curly hair cannot be used to determine faith: HC R SIV A KUM A R @ Chennai The Madras High Court has said that physical features like fair skin, tall stature, good physique and curly hair cannot be used to deter mine an individual’s caste or religion. Setting aside an order of the district-level vigilance committee of Tiruvannamalai, which concluded that the petitioner, M Ravikumar, was not an SC but an SC Christian, Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy said that while the question of whether the petitioner follows Hindu faith or Christianity will be legally relevant, the physical appearance or his ability to speak Tamil and English will not have any bearing on his communal status. The petitioner, who retired as assistant commissioner of Customs on May 30, 2026, filed the petition seeking to set aside the district vigilance committee’s May 4, 2026, order. His father converted to Christianity in 1960, and in 1983, he and his father reconverted to Hinduism and were following the Hindu rites and customs.  P5 india march on The Indian contingent, led by double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker (centre right) and Asiad gold medallist Pawan Sehrawat (centre left), march on during the Opening Ceremony of the Asian Games on Saturday | pti | P11 E x p r e s s Re a d ‘CM’s priority will be fishers, not secretariat’ Chennai: PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna on Saturday said CM C Joseph Vijay would prioritise the livelihood of fishermen over the construction of the new secretariat at Foreshore Estate. The final decision on the plan has not been taken yet, he added | P4 Party may rethink support to TVK govt: CPM Chennai: The CPM may be forced to reconsider its support for the TVK government if it continues to ignore the views of opposition parties and the people and takes decisions unilaterally, CPM secretary P Shanmugam said on Saturday | P4