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First Post
18 hours ago
- Business
- First Post
Supreme Court to examine uniform pricing for Consular Passport and Visa services
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition challenging the Union government's uniform pricing policy for Consular Passport and Visa (CPV) services that the petitioner says hikes fees up to 1,617% in some cases. read more The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea challenging the central government's uniform pricing policy for Consular Passport and Visa (CPV) services, a move that could impact millions of Indian nationals residing abroad. The petition, filed by Raghavendra Bagal, an Indian citizen living in Oman, contests the government's revised Request for Proposal (RFP) issued in February 2025, which mandates a uniform fee for CPV services regardless of whether applicants opt for additional Value Added Services (VAS). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A bench comprising Justices KV Viswanathan and Nongmeekapam Kotiswar Singh took note of the petitioner's grievance that the uniform fee structure forces all applicants to pay for VAS even if they do not avail themselves of such services. The bench remarked, 'The grievance is that whatever service the individual avails, a uniform fee is fixed irrespective of the nature of the service.' This policy, the petitioner argues, results in an arbitrary price hike — up to 1,617 per cent in some cases — and creates cross-subsidies benefiting third-party vendors appointed to provide these services. The controversy stems from a shift in the 2025 RFP compared to the original 2014 framework. Earlier, third-party vendors charged separately for VAS, which applicants could choose at their discretion. The new policy, however, requires vendors to quote a single all-inclusive cost, effectively bundling VAS charges with basic consular services, irrespective of actual usage. The petitioner had earlier filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Delhi High Court, which dismissed his plea, citing lack of jurisdiction. The high court had pointed out that only certain RFP conditions were challenged, while other bidders had filed separate petitions on related issues. The petitioner, represented by advocate Dheeraj Malhotra, then approached the Supreme Court, arguing that the Delhi High Court erred by conflating the petitioner's case with unrelated vendor petitions and thereby wrongly denied the petitioner his right to be heard. The counsel emphasised that as an Indian passport holder residing abroad, the petitioner is directly affected by the pricing policy and thus has locus standi to challenge it. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Supreme Court has now issued notice to the central government, posting the matter for hearing on July 25.
The Hindu
21-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Operation Sindhu: 517 Indian nationals brought back from Iran so far, says MEA
More than 500 Indian nationals have returned home from Iran under Operation Sindhu so far, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday (June 21, 2025). The MEA shared the update about the status of the evacuation operation in a post on X. More Indian nationals, including students, arrived in Delhi late Friday night and in the early hours of Saturday after being evacuated from Iran as its military confrontation with Israel intensified. Follow Israel-Iran conflict LIVE updates on June 21 India announced the launch of Operation Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from Iran on Wednesday. "#OperationSindhu flight brings citizens home. India evacuated 290 Indian nationals from Iran, including students and religious pilgrims by a charter flight. The flight arrived in New Delhi at 2330 hrs on 20 June and was received by Secretary (CPV& OIA) Arun Chatterjee," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X. "Government of India is grateful to the Government of Iran for the facilitation of the evacuation process," he said. In another post, he shared details about an evacuation flight that arrived from Turkmenistan. "#OperationSindhu continues. A special evacuation flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan landed in New Delhi at 0300 hrs on 21st June, bringing Indians from Iran home. With this, so far 517 Indian nationals from Iran have returned home under Operation Sindhu," he said. The first batch of 110 Indian nationals, evacuated from conflict-hit Iran under Operation Sindhu, arrived in India on Thursday, with many evacuees sharing firsthand accounts of the frightening situation they witnessed before being moved to safer locations. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh welcomed them on their arrival at Delhi airport after their arduous journey.
Mint
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Operation Sindhu: 290 Indians land in Delhi after Iran eases airspace, chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai', thank govt
As many as 290 Indian evacuees from Iran landed in New Delhi after Tehran eased airspace amid an ongoing conflict with Israel. As 290 Indians landed at Delhi airport under Operation Sindhu, visibly relieved passengers broke into chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Hindustan Zindabad'. Operation Sindhu is India's mission to evacuate citizens amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Emotional returnees, including students and religious pilgrims, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Indian government for ensuring their safe return amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Tazkiya Fatima, a resident of Noida, recounted the tense situation in Iran and praised the coordination between Indian authorities. 'There is a situation of war over there. We were not sure how we would make it out of there, but the Government of India made the whole process very smooth. I am very thankful to the Indian government. I am a resident of Noida,' she said. Eliya Batool, another evacuee, described the emotional relief of returning home. She said, "... I am unable to express what I am feeling right now. My family was very worried. In Iran, we were at ease, we were provided with a 5-star hotel and safety was provided to us. But after coming here, we feel at ease. Thank you so much, Indian government. We did not face any issue there because our Embassy made everything easy for us..." Maulana Mohammad Saeed Saeed praised the safe evacuation of the Indians and said, 'We are happy and grateful that we have been able to return home safe and sound. The situation in Iran is no good and we all know. Indian Embassy and our Ambassador made the evacuation process very smooth and safe…' Mir Mohammad Musharraf, from Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, also praised the efforts of the Indian government, saying, "I am from Pulwama, Kashmir... Operation Sindhu is amazing and really helpful. The services were very good. We contacted our embassy. We were stuck in Tehran, unaware of what to do. Our landlords also left and were left behind. It was only our embassy that helped us reach here. Thank you so much, Indian government." After Iran eased airspace, the special flight carrying 290 Indians – mostly students – landed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport late Friday night. The flight arrived at 11:30 PM IST and was received by Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Kumar Chatterjee. Iran shut its airspace until further notice after Israel carried out air strikes on multiple targets across the country, including the capital, Tehran, on 13 June.
The Print
05-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Culture Minister Gajendra Shekhawat meets Tajikistan's foreign minister in Delhi
'It is my pleasure to have met Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Mr. Sirodjiddin Muhriddin, ahead of the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue, at NGMA, New Delhi today. From Farsi manuscripts to Kathak classes in Dushanbe, from yoga to youth exchanges — our civilisational ties run deep & I am glad to be furthering them with this interaction,' Shekhawat posted on X. The meeting took place at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA). New Delhi, Jun 5 (PTI) Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat met Tajikistan's Foreign Minister Sirodjiddin Muhriddin here on Thursday and discussed ways to further boost cultural cooperation between the two countries. He also shared some visual glimpses of the meeting between them. India is hosting the fourth edition of the Central Asia Dialogue to forge a closer, wider and stronger partnership with the region, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are attending the conclave to be held in Delhi on Friday. In another post on X, Shekhawat shared some details about his meeting with a Vietnamese delegation led by Nguyen Trong Nghia, Politbureau Member of Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and Chairman of CPV's Central Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilisation. 'I am pleased to have met H.E. Mr. Nguyen Trong Nghia and his delegation in New Delhi. Spoke of the sacred relics of Lord Buddha that drew 14 million devotees in Vietnam, ASI's ongoing restoration of the My Son temples, and the growing ease of travel, tourism and trust — with direct flights, Buddhist circuits, cultural exchange, and over 200 scholarships drawing our countries ever closer. Wished them best for their stay & tour of India in the coming days,' he posted. This meeting also took place at the NGMA. PTI KND DIV DIV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Minister of State L. Murugan meets Vietnamese delegation
India and Vietnam on Thursday (June 5, 2025) agreed to step up cooperation in the media and entertainment sector during a meeting held between Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, L. Murugan, and a delegation of high-ranking officials from Vietnam. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Nguyen Trong Nghia, Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and chairperson of the CPV's Central Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilisation. The meeting was also attended by I&B Secretary Sanjay Jaju, and other senior officials of the Ministry. 'India and Vietnam share traditionally close and warm bilateral relations. In 2022, the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The India - Vietnam bilateral relations were elevated in the year 2016 to the level of 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Vietnam,' a government release said. 'Mr. Nguyen Trong Nghia lauded India's impressive growth as the world's fourth largest economy and emphasised the strong friendship and partnership between both the countries,' it said, adding that it was proposed to have programmes for enhanced cooperation between media organisations of both sides. Also read: India-Vietnam strategic partnership 'source of security, stability, progress in region': EAM Jaishankar Mr. Murugan appreciated the participation of a large Vietnamese delegation to the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit 2025, in May. 'Both the countries stressed their deep civilisational connections including a shared Buddhist heritage and agreed to work actively to further strengthen their multi-dimensional cooperation,' the release said.
