BHUBANESWAR  SUNDAY  JUNE 22, 2025  `12.00  PAGES 24  LATE CITY EDITION ADVANCE TAX, HIGH REFUNDS HIT NET DIRECT TAX COLLECTIONS REFUND ISSUANCES ROSE BY 58% IN 1ST QUARTER Advance tax, an indicator of corporate profitability and income of individuals, grew a meagre 3.87% to `1.56 lakh crore between April 1-June 19, 2025. In the same period in 2024, advance tax collection had recorded an annual growth of 27%; on the other side, refund issuances rose by 58% to `86,385 crore till June 19 this fiscal, govt data shows Net direct tax collection in Q1 dipped 1.39% to `4.59 lakh crore, on slowdown in advance tax mop-up and higher refunds CORPORATE TAX COLLECTIONS SEE A DIP ■ ■ Advance tax paid by corporates saw a growth of 5.86% to `1.22 lakh crore, while those by non-corporates, including individuals, HUFs and firms, dropped by 2.68% to `33,928 crore, as per govt data During April 1-June 19, 2025, net corporate tax collection saw a slowdown of `1.73 lakh crore, a decline of over 5% year on year 12% IS THE RATE BY WHICH SECURITIES TRANSACTION TAX GREW THIS FY 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 Govt presses B’desh on review of Ganga treaty MID-EAST CRISIS In post-Pahalgam squeeze, India says it needs more water for growth Ayatollah names his Operation Sindhu: successors, army 310 Indians brought brass replacements back from Iran J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi A G E N C I E S @ Tehran AFTER the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the government has now decided to renegotiate the Ganga River Water Treaty with Bangladesh, which is set to expire next year. India has communicated to its counterpart that it requires more water to meet its developmental needs. The new treaty will likely to be shorter, lasting 10 to 15 years. The shorter duration will foster flexibility and adaptability for both nations moving forward. The Ganga Water Treaty was signed on December 12, 1996 on sharing of water, particularly around the Farakka Barrage during the lean season. “Before Pahalgam, we were inclined to extend the treaty for another 30 years, but the situation changed drastically afterward,” stated a senior officer at the Ministry of External Affairs who participated in a meeting with the Bangladeshi counterpart earlier in May . “It was a routine meeting, held twice a year, but it also provided an opportunity to express our concerns regarding the increasing need for water to support domestic development, which will influence the terms of the new treaty,” the officer explained. According to internal documents for discussions, seen by this newspaper, the Farakka GANGA WATER TREATY, 1996 Availability at Farakka Share of India Share of Bangladesh 50% 50% 70,000 cusecs-75,000 cusecs Balance of flow 35,000 cusecs 75,000 cusecs or more 40,000 cusecs Balance of flow 70,000 cusecs or less WARY of assassination, Iran’s supreme leader mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications to make it harder to find him, three Iranian officials familiar with his emergency war plans say, The New York Times reported on Saturday . Ensconced in a bunker, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, picked an array of replacements down his chain of military command in case more of his valued lieutenants are killed. And in a remarkable move, the officials add, the leader has named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, as well. The names of his successors were not revealed, but Khamenei’s son Mojtaba was not among the contenders. The extraordinary series of steps are being seen as an attempt to preserve the Islamic Republic ever since Israel’s attacks on June 14. In normal times, Ayatollah lives and works in a highly secure compound in central Tehran called the “beit rahbari” — or leader’s house — and he seldom leaves the premises. His retreat to a bunker shows how furiously Tehran has been struck in a war with Israel. Iran’s top officials are quietly making preparations for a wide range of outcomes as the war intensifies and as President Trump considers whether to enter the fight, according to the Iranian officials. “It is clear that we had a massive security and intelligence breach; there is no denying this,” said Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran Parliament’s speaker, Gen Mohammad Ghalibaf, in an audio recording analysing the war. “Our senior commanders were all assassinated within one hour.” * SUBJECT TO THE CONDITION THAT INDIA AND BANGLADESH EACH SHALL RECEIVE GUARANTEED 35,000 CUSECS OF WATER IN ALTERNATE THREE 10-DAY PERIODS FROM MARCH 11 TO MAY 11 Barrage was built to continuously divert 40,000 cusecs of water into a feeder canal for the Kolkata Port Trust (now known as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata). “The 1996 treaty has disrupted this arrangement, leading to issues such as slope failure, bed erosion, and heavy siltation in the KPT, which has reduced its navigational efficiency. Additionally, the NTPC plant there PRESS CLUSIVE is facing water crisis,” the officer added. The current arrangement provides 35,000 cusecs of water alternately for 10 days each to both countries during the lean season, which lasts from March 11 to May 11. India is seeking 30,000 to 35,000 cusecs more during the same period to meet its emerging requirements. The Centre has the support of the West Bengal government, which is the primary beneficiary of the additional water. During internal discussions, Bihar too emphasised the need for extra Ganga water to meet its drinking and irrigation needs. An internal meeting, which included a senior officer from West Bengal, has confirmed this requirement. The emerging sense of distrust following the coup in Bangladesh last year, has put Indian diplomacy in a challenging position. In early May following the , Pahalgam attack, Indian delegates visited Bangladesh and communicated to their counterparts that the treaty needs to be re-discussed due to India’s increasing water needs. In the past, the West Bengal government has expressed concerns that the treaty compromised India’s requirements. “For any treaty made in good faith, it is the duty of the lower riparian state to respect the upper riparian state to maintain that good faith. How long can we continue to show generosity to support our neighbour when they don’t value our contribution?” remarked an official. An Indian student reunites with parents after returning from Iran as part of Operation Sindhu on Saturday | PTI J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi AS tensions between Israel and Iran entered their ninth day India intensified its evacuation , efforts under Operation Sindhu, bringing home over 800 Indian nationals stranded in the conflict zone. A special evacuation flight from Mashhad, Iran, landed in New Delhi at 4.30 pm Saturday carrying 310 Indian citizens. Earlier , in the day another flight from Ashgabat, Turk, menistan, repatriated evacuees who had transited from Iran. “This brings the total number of Indians evacuated to 827,” confirmed Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, adding that the mission is on. “Operation Sindhu continues,” he said. In a gesture of regional solidarity India also , facilitated evacuation of Sri Lankan and other South Asian nationals. Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra expressed gratitude for India’s assistance in evacuating its citizens. Among the evacuees were 256 Indian students, mostly from J&K, who arrived in Delhi early Saturday. Many of them described days of anxiety and disruption in Iran before being flown to safety This is the second . evacuation flight from Iran in 24 hours after the first on Friday with 290 Indian students. Balasore faces flood threat as Jharkhand opens barrage gates DGCA asks AI to shift three officials due to serious lapses EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Balasore AVIATION regulator DGCA has ordered the removal of three top personnel of Air India in its flight operations department from all roles related to crew scheduling and rostering due to their serious and repeated lapses. After the DGCA chastened the airline for not taking strict action against them, Air India said it had complied with the directive. The DGCA named Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President, Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager, Daily Operations, Crew Scheduling and Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling, Planning for continued non-compliance with scheduling rules. These officials did unauthorised and non-compliance crew pairings, violated mandatory licensing and recency norms and were responsible for systemic failure in scheduling protocol and oversight. Recency refers to the number of take offs and landings a pilot must have within a timeframe to operate an aircraft safely . The violations were voluntarily disclosed by Air India. “The voluntary disclosure, while noted, points to systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring and internal accountability. Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses,” the regulator said. It ordered immediate internal proceedings against them, adding they need to be re-assigned to non-operational roles until corrective reforms are initiated in scheduling practices. FORWARD BEND Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu take part in a mass yoga session to mark the 11th International Day of Yoga, in Visakhapatnam on Saturday | PTI Not quitting Odisha, says Waaree CEO HEMANT KUMAR ROUT @ Bhubaneswar A M I D s p e c u l at i o n s ove r Waaree Energies Limited pulling out of its Dhenkanal solar project, the company on Saturday announced that it has no such plan. In a statement, CEO of the company Amit Paithankar said in light of the board resolution passed on Friday Waaree Ener, gies Ltd has undertaken a strategic realignment of certain components of its planned 6 GW integrated solar manufacturing capacity across multiple geographies. This decision is aimed at accelerating project momentum, optimising resource utilisation and ensuring timely execution in line with the IPO objectives. “We want to emphasise that we are not moving away from We want to emphasise that we are not moving away from Odisha. Construction activities are actively ongoing and contracts for the facility have been duly awarded Amit Paithankar, CEO Odisha. Construction activities are actively ongoing and contracts for the facility have been duly awarded and are being executed as planned. Our commitment to Odisha remains strong,” the statement said. Odisha, he said, continues to hold a significant and strategic place in the long-term business roadmap of the company. It is actively exploring meaningful avenues for collaboration that advance both the state and national renewable energy goals. “Odisha will be an important and integral part of our future plans,” he added. The company’s recent announcement of new solar manufacturing facilities in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu had fuelled speculation that it may be reconsidering its `25,000 crore investment in Odisha. Waaree had laid the foundation stone for its massive solar equipment manufacturing facility in Dhenkanal district in December last year. Spread over 595 acre, the facility was planned to commence production by 2027, with the capacity to generate 6 GW of solar energy It also proposed to manu. facture ingots, wafers, solar cells, modules and related components, while generating 14,000 jobs over 10 years. However, in a regulatory filing with BSE and NSE on Friday, the company cited delays in executing the project at the specified location. CONTINUED ON P5 OVER 60 villages in four blocks of Balasore district stared at flash floods after Jharkhand opened eight gates of Galudihi barrage, leaving Subarnarekha river in spate following heavy rains earlier this week. As a result, villages in lowlying areas of Basta, Baliapal, Jaleswar and Bhograi blocks were waterlogged. So far, 61 villages in 21 gram panchayats have been affected. With Subarnarekha flowing over the danger mark, the Balasore administration began evacuating villagers from vulnerable places and stocked essentials. It also cancelled leave of officials in the four blocks. Official sources said the river crossed the danger mark of 10.36 metre at Rajghat. Water level at Rajghat stood at 11.40 metre at 2 pm. Official sources said, so far, 53 people were moved out from Jaleswar municipality but the residents later returned home. Some areas in Baliapal and K a m a rd a we re p a r t i a l ly affected. As many as three Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and five fire fighters’ teams have been mobilised in the four blocks for rescue and relief. A free kitchen was also set up in Jaleswar, and cooked and dryfood had been distributed to the evacuated villagers. Balasore collector Suryawanshi Mayur Vikas cancelled leaves of government officials in Jaleswar, Bhograi, Basta and Baliapal blocks and put the district machinery on 24-hour alert. Preparation for evacuation to flood relief shelters are underway, and stockpiling of essential supplies has been ordered. Jhadeswar Sahu, a resident of Kumbhirgadi village under Bhograi block said floodwater entered Khumbhirgadi, Pontei, Kulha and Khalabadia villages on Friday afternoon and on Saturday morning but started receding. DIG (eastern range) Satyajit Naik said besides deployment of ODRAF in Balasore district, two teams were mobilised to Neda in Sarashkana and Tikayatpur of Rasgovindpur in Mayurbhanj district too. People wade through knee-deep floodwater at Kumbhirgadi village in Balasore dist Rishabh Pant made a sparkling 100 before India lost their last seven wickets for 41 runs to get bowled out for 471. In reply, Ollie Pope hit an unbeaten century as England finished the day with 209/3 on board. Jasprit Bumrah took all three wickets on Day two for India | AP WITH THIS ISSUE Let’s get Personal PLUS 12 P AGES EXPRESS READ OMFED milk to cost `2 more from today BHUBANESWAR: The OMFED has effected a hike in milk prices across all varieties from Saturday. The price of premium and toned milk has been increased by `2 per litre while the price of gold milk is up by `4 per litre. According to OMFED’s official notification, the state government has decided to subsidise `2 of the hike, leaving the remaining `2 to be borne by consumers. Vande Bharat sleeper yet to get safety nod CHENNAI: It has been over six months since the prototype of the Vande Bharat sleeper version was dispatched from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) for trials and testing, but it is yet to receive clearance for operation. The 16-coach prototype, designed by ICF and manufactured by BEML (formerly Bharat Earth Movers Limited), was built at a cost of `120 crore | P5