‘no plan or intention to change Preamble’ The Centre told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday it has “no plan or intention” to remove the words ‘socialism’ and ‘secularism’ from the Preamble. In a written reply, law minister AR Meghwal said while there may be debates in political circles, “no formal decision has been announced by the government”. Last month, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale called for a national debate on whether the two terms should remain in the Preamble vijayawada l friday l july 25, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION 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 7/11 Mumbai train blasts: SC stays Bombay HC verdict Landmark free trade deal with UK signed in the presence of PMs Modi and Starmer slashes most tariff lines to zilch the POWER OF ZERO 0% Duty on the following, down from 4-20% now Marine products Arms and ammunition Over Base metals Chemicals & Minerals Electrical machinery Plastic/Rubber Furniture/Sports goods Gems & jewellery Headgear/Glass/Ceramic Instruments/Clocks Leather/Footwear Wood/Paper Mechanical machinery Textile/Clothing Big boost for UK job creation as labourintensive sectors get competitive edge Zero duty on major sectors Massive gain for rural India and exporters with zero duty on processed foods as against up to 70% earlier 75,000 Indian workers in UK will benefit from Double Contribution Convention, as it exempts workers from social security contribution for three years Professionals to get better mobility access to the UK. Up to 1,800 Indian chefs, yoga instructors and classical musicians can move temporarily to Britain to provide services Veggies, fruits, spices, cereals & oils India and the UK signed a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Thursday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London, sealing the most significant trade pact for Britain since Brexit and marking a major breakthrough in India’s global trade strategy . The deal, finalised after three years of stop-start negotiations, cuts tariffs on key goods like textiles, whisky, automobiles, Sensitive Indian sectors like dairy, vegetables, apples, cooking oils, oats fully protected under the deal tariff lines down to zero duty for Transport/Auto J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi Indian farmers to get preferential access to UK’s $37.5 billion agriculture market 99% Processed food and electronics, and is expected to double the current bilateral trade of 56 billion by 2030. Negotiated amid shifting global trade dynamics and rising protectionism, the India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Ag reement (CETA) opens up one of the world’s fastest-growing markets to UK firms while giving Indian exporters critical access to one of the G7’s leading economies. The agreement is set to take effect after a formal ratification @ New Delhi BIG TAKEAWAYS Big catch for Indian fishermen as the $5.4 billion British market opens for marine exports with zero duty as against up to 20% now Animal products s u c h i t r a k a lya n m o h a n t y process in the UK, likely within a year or less. “This is a new chapter in the India–UK economic partnership,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “CETA reflects our shared commitment to enhancing trade, driving inclusive growth, and creating opportunities for farmers, MSMEs, women, youth, and professionals,” Modi said at Chequers , his British counterpart Keir Starmer’s countryside residence 50 km northwest of London. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his UK counterpart Keir Starmer | PTI Modi, Starmer rap democratic space abuse by Khalistanis J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi India and the United Kingdom on Thursday sent a strong, united message against terrorism, with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Keir Star mer agreeing that there can be no double standards in tackling extremism. Following a bilateral meeting at the Chequers Estate, Modi thanked Starmer for the UK’s strong condemnation of the April terrorist attack in J&K’s Pahalgam that had claimed 26 lives. “We are united in our view that there can be no place for double standards in the fight against terrorism,” Modi said. “We also agree that forces with extremist ideologies must not be allowed to misuse democratic freedoms. Those who misuse democratic freedoms to undermine democracy itself must be held to account.” THE Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Bombay high court verdict of July 21 acquitting all 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train bomb blasts case, but said they need not return to jail. A two-judge bench of Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh issued notice to all the accused in the case and sought their responses on the appeal filed by Maharashtra challenging the Bombay HC judgment. During a brief hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Maharashtra, requested the court for a stay of the judgment, citing that some observations made by the high court in its verdict of July 21 can impact other pending trials under the MCOCA. Mehta also clarified that he File photo was not seeking an order from the court to direct the accused, who were released from prison fo l l ow i n g t h e r u l i n g , t o surrender. The bench said it had been informed that all respondents have been released and there was no question of bringing them back to the prison. “Taking note of submissions made by the SG on the question of law, we are inclined to hold that the impugned judgment shall not be treated as a precedent. To that extent, there is a stay of the judgment,” said the court. On July 21, a special bench of the Bombay high court of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak acquitted all the 12 accused, saying the prosecution utterly failed to prove the case and it was “hard to believe the accused committed the crime”. The Maharashtra government on July 22 knocked the doors of the Supreme Court challenging the verdict. More than 180 people were killed when seven blasts ripped through Mumbai local trains at various locations on the western line on July 11, 2006. The Maharashtra government challenged the Bombay high court judgment on several grounds, including that the recovery of RDX from an accused was disbelieved on a “hypertechnical ground” that the seized explosives were not sealed with a lac seal. Naidu set for 6-day trip to Singapore from tomorrow E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e HISTORIC All-Indian women’s World Cup final Koneru Humpy takes out top-seed, will face Divya Deshmukh in two-match final @ Vijayawada Aimed at attracting investments to Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will embark on a sixday visit to Singapore from July 26 to 31. During the visit, he will engage with representatives of leading global companies, business leaders, prominent industrialists, and other notable personalities. According to a release issued on Thursday, this marks CM Chandrababu Naidu’s second foreign tour since the formation of the coalition government, following his earlier visit P4 to Davos.