chennai l Monday l June 02, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Ukraine hits Russian bombers ahead of truce talks in Istanbul A Ukrainian drone attack destroyed over 40 Russian planes on Sunday—a day before the two sides were to meet for talks in Istanbul Top ukrainian commander puts in papers Two Russian air bases bear the brunt The spectacular claim that Ukraine damaged $2 billion worth of Russian aircraft parked at airbases thousands of kilometres away came as Kyiv announced that a Russian counter-military strike killed at least 12 of its soldiers at an army training site, leading to the resignation of its ground forces commander Mykhailo Drapaty, who owed ‘responsibility’ for the hit ■ ■ Russia’s defence ministry in a statement confirmed the attacks from Ukraine. The FPV drones damaged aircraft and sparked fires on air bases in Irkutsk as well as Russia’s northern Murmansk Ukraine’s top army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russia attacked Pokrovsk, Toretsk and Lyman in Donetsk as well as Sumy | P9 472 drones launched by russia on sunday in its counter offensive 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 GST collections stay above K2 lakh cr in May Gross GST revenue up 16.4%; robust mop-up for 2nd month in a row; double-digit growth in several large states DI PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi IF May GST collection—tax collected for April transactions— are anything to go by, India’s economy started the financial year with a bang despite the disruptions caused by US president Donald Trump’s threat of reciprocal tariffs. GST collections in May rose 16.4% to touch `2.01 lakh crore. Gross domestic revenue increased 14% to `1.5 lakh crore, while revenue from imports shot up 25% to `51,000 crore. Net GST revenues (after deducting refunds) showed even better buoyancy as the same increased by 20.4% to `1.74 lakh crore. Total refunds contracted by 4% year-on-year. This is the second month in a row that gross collections have witnessed double-digit growth. In April, gross GST revenue hit an all-time high of `2.36 lakh crore in April 2025, 12.6% higher than the collection of `2.10 lakh crore in April 2024. This augurs well for the country as FY25 showed GST revenue collections growth slowing down to single digit numbers. “A 16% growth in GST collections in the month shows a re- Gross GST revenue Import gains May ’24 May ’25 GST revenue CGST 32,409 35,434 from inward shipments SGST 40,265 43,902 grew 25%, IGST 87,781 1,08,836 showing CESS 12,284 12,879 imports shot up despite Total 1,72,739 2,01,050 tariff (Figures in ` crore) headwinds newed upward momentum after a few months of growth in the range of 11 to 12%. If the growth continues in this range for next couple of months, it might provide the cushion for the Government to look at rate rationalisation on which a lot of work has already been done,” says Pratik Jain, partner, Price Waterhouse & Co LLP. Meanwhile, M S Mani, partner, Deloitte India, says a 25% higher GST revenue from imports indicates that imports have accelerated despite recent tariff headwinds. Many large states, including southern ones, have seen high double-digit growth. Collections from Maharashtra rose by 17%, Karnataka by 20%, Tamil Nadu by 25% and Kerala by 24%. Bihar (23%) and Delhi (58%) and West Bengal (18%) are few other notable good performers during the month. Gujarat (4%), Telangana (6%) and Andhra Pradesh (-2%) were few of the laggards. According to Deloitte’s Mani, the wide variations in GST collections growth across states require a thorough analysis across the sectors that are important in each state. Bangladesh tribunal AIADMK keeps 2 RS seats for itself begins Hasina’s trial T M u r u g anan d h am @ Chennai a g en c i es @ Dhaka FUGITIVE former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina orchestrated a “systematic attack” that amounted to crimes against humanity in her attempt to crush the uprising that toppled her government, Bangladeshi prosecutors said at the opening of her trial on Sunday . Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 after Hasina’s government launched its crackdown, according to the United Nations. Hasina, 77, fled by helicopter to India as the student-led uprising ended her 15year rule, and she has defied an extradition order to return to Dhaka. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is prosecuting former senior figures connected to Hasina’s ousted gover nment and her now- banned party, the Awami League. “Upon scrutinising the evidence, we reached the conclusion that it was a coordinated, widespread and systematic attack,” ICT chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam told the court in his opening speech. “The accused unleashed all law enforcement agencies and her armed party members to crush the uprising.” Islam lodged five charges each against Hasina and two other officials —ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun and for mer interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal— that included “abetment, incitement, complicity conspira, cy and failure to prevent mass , murder in the July uprising”. Hasina, who remains in selfexile in India since August 5, 2023, has rejected the charges as politically motivated. Perennial misery Floodwaters force residents to evacuate along with livestock, seeking safety in Lakhimpur, Assam on Sunday | PTI | P8 punjab DEFEATED MUMBAI TO ENTER IPL FINAL Skipper Shreyas Iyer (87 off 41) played a blinder as Punjab chased down a target of 204 on Sunday. PBKS will take on RCB in the final on Tuesday | P11 The AIADMK has decided to keep the two Rajya Sabha seats to itself and named senior functionaries and former MLAs of the party, I S Inbadurai and M Dhanapal, as candidates for the forthcoming elections to the Upper House. AIADMK deputy general secretary K P Munusamy announced the candidates at the party headquarters on Sun- I S Inbadurai day. Responding to a question, Munusamy said AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had promised the DMDK a Rajya Sabha seat Stored paddy worth `840 crore spoiled in five years in TN B A N B U S E LV A N @ Chennai Despite ongoing efforts to expand storage infrastructure, Tamil Nadu suffered wastage of 3.72 metric tonnes (MT) of paddy/rice stored at direct procurement centres and warehouses from 2019-20 to 2023-24 at a minimum estimated financial loss of around `840 crore. TNIE obtained this data through Right to Information (RTI) Act requests made to the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC). The actual financial loss, which was not fully disclosed by TNCSC, could be higher. TNIE acquired this information after multiple RTI requests and appeals, following delays and denials from TNCSC. The data revealed that between 65,000 MT and 1.25 lakh MT of paddy/rice was lost annually due to various factors. Losses were particularly higher in the districts of Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Pudukottai. In 2021-22, an alarming 1.37 lakh MT of paddy/ rice was wasted across the state. During that year, a total of 43.27 lakh MT of paddy was procured, which was subsequently converted into 28.5 lakh MT of rice. The annual expenditure for paddy procurement is `5,000 to `6,500 crore depending on the minimum support price (MSP) and paddy cultivation. Several factors contributed to these storage losses, including inadequate or poorly-maintained storage facilities — such as those with leaky roofs, cracked walls and open storage areas — improper drying of paddy, leading to high moisture levels; infestations by rodents and insects and rough handling during loading.  P5 c h e ss Charvi, 11, making heads turn in Norway s w a r o o p s w am i nat h an @ Stavanger India’s chess conveyor belt shows no signs of slowing down. One of the latest to emerge from the seemingly limitless pool is Charvi A, who has already made the likes of Viswanathan Anand sit up and take notice. The 11-year-old, currently in action at the Norway Open event in the city is a , WFM (Woman Fide Master). Already an age-group world champion, what makes the Bengaluru-based Charvi spe- cial is the way she’s laser-focused in her chess. Even in a game where obsessives are dime-a-dozen, it’s unheard of for somebody as young as her to set boundaries. For example, she has already told her parents to not reveal the identity of her coach (she has worked with Swayams Mishra and RB Ramesh in the past). Her dedication also lies in her wanting to learn from her mistakes. After every game, she makes it a point to have a debrief with all of her opponents. “It can go on for 30 minutes also,” her mother, Akhila, who left behind her IT job, says. She and her husband Anil Kumar had to rely on YouTube to understand the game and keep pace with their daughter. Her parents were undecided on her daughter pursuing chess but after she won the Under-8 girls World Championship, they were sold on her obvious talents.  P11 M Dhanapal Swimming, badminton classes Apart from chess training, she goes for swimming and badminton classes to ensure she gets some physical activity on a daily basis. She also got the highest civilian award given to children for her chess exploits in 2026, and that the party stands by it. He claimed the DMDK would continue in the AIADMK-led alliance and had agreed to the current arrangement. However, later in the day, DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakant refused to confirm to reporters that the party would indeed continue in the AIADMK alliance, suggesting her displeasure at the Dravidian major’s move.  P5 Amit Shah raises CAA in Bengal poll pitch RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi Sounding the poll bugle in West Bengal ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused the Mamata Banerjeeled government of opposing Operation Sindoor and the Waqf Amendment Bill to appease the Muslim vote bank. Addressing party leaders and workers in Kolkata, Shah alleged Hindus were being oppressed in the state and forced to flee. The recent riots in Murshidabad were not spontaneous but orchestrated by the state, he claimed, adding that the Mamata-led Trinamool Congress shielded the perpetrators of violence. Shah also alleged that Hindu refugees were getting notices that their names may be removed from the voter list. “There is no need to worry. Simply fill out the CAA applications, and we will ensure that they are granted Indian citizenship,” he said. Raising the Pahalgam terror attack issue, Shah said, “When tourists from Bengal were killed in the attack, Mamata Didi remained silent. But now she is having problems with Operation Sindoor.” Home Minister Amit Shah addresses a of the BJP at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday | PTI Mamata Banerjee had recently accused the Centre of politicising Operation Sindoor for electoral gains. “Operation Sindoor was to punish terrorists. But Didi was pained at the deaths of terrorists and gave a cheap political statement. She made West Bengal a centre for infiltrators, corruption and crimes,” Shah said, adding that the TMC’s days were numbered. Shah said the upcoming elections are not just about Bengal, but about national security, adding: “Didi has left Bengal’s borders open for Bangladeshis. Infiltration is taking place in Bengal with her blessing.” In a counter to Shah’s charges, the TMC said stopping infiltration is the responsibility of the BSF, not state government.