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The Hindu
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
BSP chief Mayawati slams United States trade tariffs, urges Union govt. to use it as opportunity for self-reliance
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Thursday (July 31, 2025) criticized the newly imposed trade tariffs by the United States and urged the Indian government to protect national interests, particularly those of farmers and small businesses. The BSP leader added that such economic pressures by the United States should be met with resilience and transformed into opportunities for self-reliance. 'Despite the United States being described as a 'friendly' nation, the newly emerged challenge by US President Donald Trump imposing a 25 percent duty on Indian imports and a penalty on importing oil from Russia should be met with resilience and transformed into opportunities for self-reliance,' wrote Ms. Mayawati, on X, adding the country hopes the Union Government will live up to the assurance that no section, especially small and medium enterprises and the agricultural sector, will be adversely affected. The former four-time U.P. CM said India is a country of the world's largest population of hardworking people and if a policy is formulated to take the country forward on the basis of labour force providing work to every hand and implemented properly, then the country can certainly become a happy and prosperous with self-reliance as well as 'Sarvajan Hitaay and Sarvajan Sukhaay', in which the public and national interest is completely inherent and can also remain safe as per the humanitarian and welfare objective of the Constitution. United States President Donald Trump on July 30 announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods from August 1, with an additional but unspecified 'penalty' for its defence and energy imports from Russia.
Hans India
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
BRSV Stages Protest in Gadwal Demanding Immediate Release of Fee Reimbursement and Scholarships.
Gadwal: Under the leadership of Bharat Rashtra Samithi Vidyarthi (BRSV) State Leader and Jogulamba Gadwal District Coordinator Kuruvu Pallayya, a massive protest rally was organized at Krishnaveni Junction in Gadwal town on Thursday. The rally was held to demand the immediate release of pending fee reimbursement and scholarship amounts that are allegedly being withheld by the Telangana state government. Addressing the gathering, Kuruvu Pallayya expressed deep anguish that even after nearly 1.5 years since the formation of the new government, the Revanth Reddy-led administration has failed to clear the dues related to student welfare schemes like scholarships and fee reimbursement. He accused the government of discrimination against poor and marginalized students, stating that the delay was severely impacting their access to higher education. He said students from both government and private institutions are being forced to pay fees in advance due to government negligence, which contradicts the very essence of public welfare. Highlighting the lack of basic facilities in government educational institutions, Pallayya also criticized the Union Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the corporatization of the education sector has intensified under his regime. Kuruvu Pallayya went on to list a series of broken promises by the Congress government, including: Creation of 2 lakh jobs within the first 100 days Allocation of 15% of the budget for the education sector Direct financial assistance to SC/ST students based on qualifications: ₹10,000 for SSC pass ₹15,000 for Intermediate pass ₹25,000 for Degree pass ₹1 lakh for PG pass ₹5 lakhs for PhD pass He labeled these assurances as blatant lies and betrayals of the youth. He further alleged that students, particularly from economically weaker and middle-class families, are struggling to continue their education due to non-receipt of fee reimbursement and scholarship funds. Many are unable to collect their original certificates like Transfer Certificates (TCs) from colleges due to unpaid dues, thereby dropping out of higher education despite securing good ranks in entrance exams. Highlighting the plight of hostel students, he criticized the government for failing to increase hostel mess charges and cosmetic allowances in line with rising costs. Students are reportedly suffering from malnutrition due to poor-quality food, and living in cramped hostel rooms due to the lack of proper infrastructure. The protest leader strongly condemned the government's discriminatory treatment toward the 1,023 Gurukul (residential) institutions, most of which cater to underprivileged communities. He demanded: Immediate cancellation of GO No. 29, which he claimed was hindering Group-1 recruitments Implementation of GO No. 55 for job appointments Allocation of funds to improve infrastructure and food quality in Gurukul schools He cited recent incidents to highlight the alarming state of affairs: Students of Uyyalawada Gurukul were hospitalized due to food poisoning Students from Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Gurukul in Alampur constituency staged protests complaining of insects in food, lack of drinking water, and unhygienic bathrooms He accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of deliberately neglecting Gurukul institutions, allegedly because they were introduced by former CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), thus engaging in political vendetta at the cost of student welfare. The protest concluded with a stern warning: If the government fails to release the pending fee reimbursement and scholarship funds immediately, BRSV will launch a large-scale agitation and lay siege to the Secretariat. Several student leaders and activists participated in the rally, including Maz, Madhav, Chinna, Jahangir, Afrid, and hundreds of students from various institutions. This protest reflects a growing dissatisfaction among student communities across Telangana regarding delays in welfare schemes, deteriorating infrastructure, and unmet promises by the current administration. With the academic year in progress and many students caught in financial limbo, the situation may escalate further if remedial action is not taken swiftly.
CNA
20 hours ago
- Politics
- CNA
Myanmar junta ends state of emergency in election run-up
YANGON: Myanmar's military government ended its state of emergency on Thursday (Jul 31), ramping up plans for a December election that opposition groups pledged to boycott and monitors said will be used to consolidate the military's power. The military declared a state of emergency in February 2021 as it deposed the civilian government of democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a many-sided civil war which has claimed thousands of lives. The order gave junta chief Min Aung Hlaing supreme power over the legislature, executive and judiciary - but he has recently touted elections as an off-ramp to the conflict. Opposition groups including ex-lawmakers ousted in the coup have pledged to snub the poll, which a UN expert last month dismissed as "a fraud" designed to legitimise the military's continuing rule. "The state of emergency is abolished today in order for the country to hold elections on the path to a multi-party democracy," junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said in a voice message shared with reporters. "Elections will be held within six months," he added. Analysts predict Min Aung Hlaing will keep a role as either president or armed forces chief following the election and consolidate power in that office, thereby extending his tenure as de facto ruler. A flurry of statements and orders announced a new "Union Government" had been formed alongside a "National Security and Peace Commission" to oversee defence and the election process. Both will be led by Min Aung Hlaing who will remain acting president, according to orders he signed himself. "We have already passed the first chapter," Min Aung Hlaing said in a speech in Naypyidaw reported in state newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar on Thursday. "Now, we are starting the second chapter," he told members of the junta's administration council at what the newspaper called an "honorary ceremony" for its members. "The upcoming election will be held this December, and efforts will be made to enable all eligible voters to cast their ballots," the newspaper reported, paraphrasing another part of his speech. NO DATE SET No exact date for the poll has been announced by the junta, but political parties are being registered while training sessions on electronic voting machines have already taken place. The military government said Wednesday it enacted a new law dictating prison sentences of up to 10 years for speech or protests aiming to "destroy a part of the electoral process". A census held last year as preparation for the election estimated it failed to collect data from 19 million of the country's 51 million people, provisional results said. The results cited "significant security constraints" as one reason for the shortfall - giving a sign of how limited the reach of the election may be amid the civil war. Analysts have predicted rebels will stage offensives around the election as a sign of their opposition.
The Hindu
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Raichur MP alleges stagnation in Institutions of Eminence scheme
Raichur Lok Sabha member G. Kumar Naik has criticised the Union Government's handling of the Institutions of Eminence (IoE) scheme, saying the Centre has failed to deliver on its core promise of building globally competitive universities even eight years after its launch. On July 28, the MP had raised the issue in the Lok Sabha. Following up, on July 31, Mr. Naik released a statement in which the MP stated: 'Bureaucratic inertia, underfunding, and lack of institutional autonomy' have derailed the Central Government's flagship programme for higher education excellence. 'The state of higher education in India speaks volumes in the silence that has followed. The ambition was to put Indian universities on the global map. But as the numbers show, the reality is far from this goal,' he said. According to the reply by the Union Ministry of Education to his query, only 114 institutions have applied under the IoE scheme since its launch in 2017. Of these, just 11 are greenfield institutions that are yet to commence operations. The MP termed the figures 'abysmally low', noting with concern that prominent institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, known for its work in the social sciences and development studies, are excluded from public funding under the scheme. Mr. Naik pointed out that while 12 universities have been granted the 'eminence' tag, no new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed since 2022. 'This is because the Empowered Expert Committee, which was supposed to process new applications, has not been reconstituted after its term expired in 2021,' he said. Highlighting the 2026 QS World University Rankings, Mr. Naik said only six Indian institutions have made it to the top 500 list – five of which have consistently figured in the rankings since 2012. 'The scheme aimed to elevate Indian institutions into the top 500 globally. However, according to the 2026 QS World University Rankings, only six Indian universities have made it to that list so far. Five of these had already entered the top 500 by 2012, during the tenure of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Since then, only one additional institution, the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has made it to the list under the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Even that has seen a steep fall in its global standing, slipping from 147 in 2016 to 219 in 2026,' he said. Pointing to ₹10,000 crore earmarked for 10 public institutions under this scheme, Mr. Naik claimed that almost 40% of the amount remains unallocated, and even Delhi University had received only ₹481 crore. 'Worse, this year's budget estimates have been slashed by nearly 68% compared to 2023-24, to just ₹475.12 crore,' Mr. Naik said. Mr. Naik flagged a broader decline in public investment in education, pointing out that the share of education in the Union Budget has fallen from over 4% in 2013-14 to 2.5% in 2025-26 whereas the number of students in higher education has grown from 3.2 crore (32 million) in 2013-14 to 4.3 crore (43 million) in 2021-22. He added that one-third of faculty posts in Central universities remain vacant as of March 2023. 'The 2017 policy shift from grants to loans has only added pressure on our universities. It is making higher education more expensive for students, and financially unsustainable for institutions.' he claimed. Quoting a 2023 report by the Ministry of Science & Technology, Mr. Naik noted that India's expenditure on research and development (R&D) had declined to just 0.64% of GDP as of 2020-21, continuing a downward trend since 2009-10. 'Our researcher base is also shrinking, with the number of researchers per capita five times lower than the global average. While China is producing frontier AI models like DeepSeek, we are struggling to fill teaching vacancies,' he said. 'The quest for 'eminence' will no doubt continue, but whether it is driven by meaningful action, or left to wither in quiet neglect is for the Indian political class to decide,' he stated.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Myanmar junta lifts emergency rules, paving way for elections
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Myanmar's military leadership on July 31 lifted a state of emergency more than four years after it took power in a coup, a necessary step for holding elections later in 2025. The decision, announced by the junta after a meeting of the National Defence and Security Council, comes as civil war continues to engulf the South-east Asian nation. Under Myanmar's 2008 Constitution, emergency rules must be lifted before elections can be held, which the junta had pledged to do in December. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing also announced the formation of 30-member Union Government, appointing his aide Nyo Saw as prime minister. The move comes as Myanmar's military faces a collapsing economy and growing resistance from pro-democracy armed groups. The council decided in its last meeting, in January, to extend the state of emergency until July 31, saying at the time that 'there is a need for stability to ensure a free and fair general election'. Western governments, including the US, have dismissed any junta-organised elections as illegitimate. Earlier this week, the military enacted a law it said was designed to protect the electoral process from 'sabotage,' with punishments including the death penalty for disrupting elections. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT's finances hit by 2024 EWL disruption; profit after tax for trains division dips 8% Asia US-Malaysia tariff deal set for Aug 1 after Trump-Anwar phone call Asia Malaysia PM Anwar says Trump to attend Asean Summit in October Singapore Underground pipe leak likely reason for water supply issues during Toa Payoh fire: Town council Multimedia 60 years, 60 items: A National Day game challenge Singapore Driver in 2024 Tampines crash that killed 2 set to plead guilty in October Life Milo tees, kaya toast pimple patches, crockery: Here are the SG60 merch to collect Singapore 'Switching careers just as I became a dad was risky, but I had to do it for my family' General Min Aung Hlaing has claimed the 2020 election – won by civilian leader and pro-democracy figure Aung San Suu Kyi – was tainted by interference and fraud, the key justification used by the military to seize power . In a letter to President Donald Trump earlier in July, he likened the situation to Mr Trump's false claims of US election fraud in 2020, suggesting both were victims of rigged votes. Beyond the coup, the US and regional governments have accused Myanmar of harbouring so-called 'scam compounds' run by crypto crime syndicates and fueled by trafficked labor. In May, Washington sanctioned a junta-linked militia for backing cyber scams 'on an industrial scale' that have cost Americans billions. General Min Aung Hlaing said on July 30 that the country was entering a 'second chapter'. 'If at the start of this second chapter we write it well, beautifully, and sincerely with our own hands and carry it out successfully, I believe we will overcome even more challenges,' he said at a ceremony in the capital Naypyitaw, according to a government release. Bloomberg
