BHUBANESWAR  THURSDAY  AUGUST 07, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION RBI KEEPS REPO RATE UNCHANGED AT 5.5% WITH A ‘NEUTRAL’ STANCE The six-member Monetary Policy Committee, headed by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, decided to maintain the repurchase rate at current level GDP GROWTH FORECAST RETAINED AT 6.5% UPI NOT FREE, SOMEONE IS PAYING COSTS: GUV RBI maintained India’s GDP growth forecast at 6.5% for FY26. “Despite a challenging external environment, economy is navigating a steady growth path with price stability. Monetary policy has appropriately used the policy space created by the benign inflation outlook to support growth without compromising on the primary objective of price stability,” Malhotra said ■ ■ RBI also revised its inflation forecast lower by 60 bps to 3.1% Malhotra said while the popular Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is free for users, someone is covering the operational expenses. UPI payment services cannot remain free forever but it’s for the government to decide who should foot the bill, RBI guv added | P10 19.47 BN UPI TRANSACTIONS WORTH `25.08 LAKH RECORDED IN JULY, ACCORDING TO NPCI DATA 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 SCO SUMMIT Modi set to visit China this month J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi IN a major diplomatic move aimed at recalibrating ties with China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Tianjin, China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. This marks his first trip to the country since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash that strained IndiaChina relations. The PM is likely to travel to Japan first for a bilateral meeting. From there, he will fly to China, sources said. This will be Modi’s first visit to China since 2019. His last direct interaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping took place on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan in October 2024, where both leaders acknowledged the need to stabilise Narendra Modi ties and prioritise peace along the Line of Actual Control. “Maintaining peace and tranquillity over the border should remain our priority Modi had ,” told Xi during that meeting. Xi, in turn, had emphasised the need for “more communication and cooperation”. The upcoming SCO summit will be held against a complex geopolitical backdrop. India faces intense pressure from the US and other Western partners over its oil trade with Russia. The summit is expected to focus on terrorism, regional security, and economic cooperation among its 10 member states, including China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and newly joined Belarus. DOUBLE TRUMP-LE It is extremely unfortunate that the US should impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest Trump slaps additional 25% tariff on Indian products, taking the total to 50%; new levy to kick in from Aug 27; Ministry of External Affairs terms it unfair, unjustified D I PA K M O N D A L & J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to double the tariff on Indian goods, taking it to 50%, in response to New Delhi’s ‘continued purchase of Russian oil’. The additional 25% tariff will kick in from August 27, while the 25% tariff on Indian products announced earlier is scheduled to take effect from August 7. “India is directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil. Accordingly, and as consistent with applicable law, articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25%,” the executive order read. The order says any other country importing Russian crude directly or indirectly might face similar fate. However, India seems to have been singled as it has been handed the highest tariff. No other country apart from Brazil, has , got a 50% levy The tariff on . China, which imported $62.6 billion worth of Russian oil in 2024 compared with India’s $52.7 billion, is only 34%. The Trump administration, however, justified the tariffs as part of its broader response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. India reacted sharply to the tariff action, calling it “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India’s energy imports were driven by market realities and national interest. “The United States has in recent days targeted India’s oil imports from Russia. We have already made clear our position… our imports are based on market factors and aimed at ensuring energy security for 1.4 billion Indians,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, adding: “India will take all necessary steps to protect its national interests.” The additional tariff would not be applicable on goods categorised under Annexure II of April 2, 2025. These goods include metals like steel, copper and other base metals, semiconductor, pharma, etc. However, this puts India in a disadvantageous position as many ASEAN and Asian economies have much lower tariffs of 15-20%. Analysts expect the higher tariff would result in Indian exports to the US, which is the biggest buyer of Indian goods accounting for 20% goods exports, falling by a massive 40-50% in FY26. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal New Delhi’s diplomacy in action NSA Ajit Doval is currently in Russia to discuss defence cooperation and energy ties. Doval’s visit will be followed by a broader diplomatic engagement with foreign minister S Jaishankar’s visit in the third week of August Tariff on India is the peak US levy on any country in the world. The tariff on China, a bigger importer of Russian oil, is just 34% No idea about US imports from Russia, says Trump US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he was not aware of the fact that the US was importing a number of products including uranium and fertilisers from Russia. “I don’t know anything about it. I have to check, but we’ll get back to you then,” he said in response to a media question about the US imports of fertilisers, uranium, and chemicals from Russia. A few days ago, the MEA had said, “Where the US is concerned, it continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its EV industry, fertilizers as well as chemicals... In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable.” Goods in transit exempt The executive order says all Indian imports will face a 25% ad valorem tariff on top of existing duties. The new tariff will take effect after 21 days, on August 27. Goods already in transit before that date will be exempt, if they reach US before September 17 EXPRESS READ U’khand village was wiped out in 34 seconds 34 ALL OVER IN 34 SECONDS secs was all the swollen Khirganga river took to swallow Dharali (pic) in Uttarkashi 140+ people evacuated so far, 15 of them residents of Dharali 230 families resided in Dharali. Most of them were away at a mela in Mukhwa. It saved their lives 9 Army personnel still missing in Harsil village Youth tries to end life over ‘custodial torture’ Dehradun: Dharali, a key stopover on the Gangotri Dham pilgrimage route, was completely devastated on Tuesday afternoon by a sudden surge of debris-laden water from the Khirganga River. The flash flood, carrying massive amounts of debris from the mountains, reportedly wiped out the entire village – market, houses, hotels, and all – in mere 34 seconds. Besides Dharali, cloudbursts were also reported in Harsil and Sukki. In Harsil, nine out of eleven Army personnel who went missing after a cloudburst remain untraced. Authorities acknowledge the death toll might rise further | P8 Jajpur: A 28-year-old youth attempted suicide by consuming poison inside Balichandrapur police station here after being allegedly subjected to custodial torture. The victim, Rabindra Malik of Mahipur village in Anaka panchayat under Barachana block, is undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Rabindra’s family members on Wednesday alleged that he was thrashed mercilessly and stripped naked by the cops in police custody. The torture and humiliation provoked him to take the drastic step, they claimed | P4 SC seeks detailed ECI response on 65 lakh deletions EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on allegations that it failed to disclose details of 65 lakh voters removed from Bihar’s electoral rolls during a Special Intensive Revision (SIR). A bench of justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan and N K Singh issued a notice on an application filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for ADR, claimed the ECI had not made public the names or reasons behind the deletions in the draft roll published on August 1. “The draft roll says 65 lakh voters’ names have been omitted. They have not given a list of those names. They say people are dead, have migrated... They should disclose who the 65 lakh,” Bhushan submitted. He also questioned whether the deletions were made with proper oversight from Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Responding, ECI’s counsel Reply by Saturday Bhushan contested the ECI’s claim, stating: “They have not conveyed [the data]. Even if some parties have received it, the reasons for deletions were not shared.” The court directed the ECI to file its detailed reply by Saturday claimed the draft rolls had indeed been shared with political party representatives as per the laid down procedure. Justice Kant reminded the ECI of its obligation under its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and asked for transparency “If you have supplied [the . list], please give a list of parties to whom you have, so that Bhushan’s client can collect information from those authorised representatives,” he said. College girl dies by suicide, family points at blackmail A S H I S S E N A PAT I /A S I S H M E H TA @ Kendrapara/Bhubaneswar The charred body of a 20-year-old girl student was found in her house in a village under Pattamundai Rural police station of Kendrapara district on Wednesday morning. Family members said the girl is suspected to have immolated herself following a blackmail threat from her boyfriend. The victim was a Plus Three final-year student of political science and had appeared the semester examination on Tuesday . The victim’s The deceased’s father alleged that the girl was body was found in a relationship with a youth for the past two on the staircase years and ended her life after being blackmailed of the house, by her boyfriend with whom she had broken up probably indicating that six months back. Kendrapara SP Siddharth Kataria and other after setting senior police officers rushed to the village to in- herself on fire, she had made a vestigate the case. No one has been arrested in desperate bid to connection with the case so far. go to the terrace Citing the victim’s parents, police said, the cou- but in vain as ple had gone to the community health centre at the door was Pattamundai at 7.30 am and returned around locked 11.30 am to find their daughter in a charred Police state. Police said the body was found on the staircase of the house, probably indicating that the victim after setting herself on fire had made a desperate bid to go to the terrace but probably could not open the door. The victim’s father alleged that six months back, he along with her daughter had gone to Pattamundai Rural police station to lodge an FIR but police did not take any step to register a case and advised them to block the youth’s mobile number. CONTINUED ON P5 First draft treaty text by Friday, ‘scope’ SC issues notices to Centre, Odisha govt on alleged remains contentious in closed-door talks illegal construction in Satkosia Tiger Reserve TNIE in Switzerland S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA @ GENEVA A first consolidated draft text of the global plastics treaty is expected to emerge by Friday as the contact groups work around the clock to bridge entrenched differences. But behind closed doors, the definition of the treaty’s “scope” —particularly the interpretation of the “full life cycle of plastics” — remains a flashpoint in negotiations, according to sources privy to Contact Group 1 (CG1) discussions. Speaking to this newspaper, on the sidelines of an informal meeting with Indian industry representatives on Wednesday , Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), maintained a diplomatic stand when asked whether the definition of the full life cycle was being revisited amid mounting tensions. He replied: “Negotiations are going. You have seen what’s happening in the contact group... My job as Chair is to keep the negotiations on track... What the text will say on August 14 is up to the members.” The Chair said he had requested a compiled text by Friday to serve as a working draft, while maintaining momentum in the contact groups. “We are still negotiating. The idea is to assemble a text with provisions that have a high level of convergence, while continuing informal work on the more difficult issues,” he said, emphasising that the treaty must be forward-looking, credible, and flexible. The stocktake, expected after the release of the draft, will help negotiators assess how far they have come and identify the remaining areas of divergence. The ambiguity over the scope of the treaty stems from a fundamental disagreement: what constitutes the full life cycle of plastics? EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Supreme Cour t on Wednesday issued notices to the Centre and Odisha government on a plea against alleged proposed constructions inside the Satkosia Tiger Reserve in the state. A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria took note of the submissions of advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, also the petitioner, while also asking the response of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC). Bansal sought quashing of the no-objection certificates (NOC) granted by district collectors of Angul, Nayagarh, Boudh and Cuttack for construction and tourism projects in and around the tiger reserve. His plea alleged unchecked expansion of tourism infrastructure and other proposed constructions in the ecologically sensitive tiger reserve. The petitioner also questioned the legality of directions issued by the district collectors, pointing out the provisional NOCs were granted without jurisdiction and in violation of the Wildlife (Protec- tion) Act, 1972, besides forest and environmental laws. The Satkosia Tiger Reserve, spread across the districts of Angul, Cuttack, Nayagarh and Boudh in Odisha, is a crucial habitat for tigers, elephants, and several endangered species. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the plea said, in April 2018 directed all states for mandatory delineation of eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) around tiger reserves. The directions were stated to There are multiple large-scale and systemic issues affecting the ecological and legal integrity of Satkosia Tiger Reserve, which require independent attention and urgent consideration of this court – Petitioner have clearly stipulated a demarcation of a minimum of 1 kilometer of ESZ encompassing a protected area, whenever it for med part of the buffer. “There are multiple largescale and systemic issues affecting the ecological and legal integrity of Satkosia Tiger Reserve, which require independent attention and urgent consideration of this court,” the plea said. In line with the NTCA’s April 2018 direction, the petitioner said, the Odisha government recently submitted a draft proposal for declaration of ESZ around Satkosia Tiger Reserve to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for final notification. CONTINUED ON P5