Friday, September 5, 2025 | Vol. 68 No. 285 | 32 Pages Happy Teacher’s Day Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation GAMES NATION Mamata fires fresh salvo, says Modi govt ‘begging before US... China’ Cinema SRK, Randeep Hooda, Sonu Sood support flood-hit Punjab Yuki Bhambri reaches maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open men’s doubles Edit GST 2.0 is progress, but not the reform India truly needs BREAKTHROUGH | Less than 10 days before PM’s likely visit to the strife-torn state, Centre signs a new pact with Kuki groups THE GREAT GST RESET Manipur peace hopes rise By invitation Jayanta Roy Chowdhury T he announcement made late on Wednesday night on the GST which was foretold by PM Narendar Modi in his Independence Day address last month, is a rate slash shaped as much by global trade pressures - Donald Trump’s fresh tariffs on Indian exports as by domestic politics. Chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the GST Council agreed to the previously proposed two tier tax – 5 and 18 per cent – with a zero tax slab for essentials and ‘Sin tax’ rate for alcohol, tobacco and luxury goods, leaving the vexatious issue of tax shortfalls for states hanging in the air. The announcement offered relief on food, medicines and household items while raising levies on tobacco, sweetened drinks, luxury motorcycles, yachts and personal aircraft. The measure, if successful, could ease life for ordinary families and bring GST closer to the global norm of progressive consumption taxes. It could also help sway crucial elections to state assemblies from Bihar to be held later this IIT Madras, IISc top NIFR ranks PTI NEW DELHI The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras retained the top spot in 'overall' category for the seventh consecutive year, while the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru was ranked as the best university for the tenth year in a row, according to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025 released on Thursday. The tenth edition of the NIRF was announced by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. IISc Bengaluru has retained the second spot in the 'overall' category, followed by IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi, which have also retained their positions. Among universities, the top spot has been bagged by IISc Bengaluru, with Jawaharlal Nehru University at the second position. While IISc and JNU have retained their ranks in the universities category, Manipal Academy of Higher Education has bagged the third spot. The Karnataka-based university is also the first private institution to feature in the top three of the NIRF rankings. 4Contd on | nation year to West Bengal, expected to be fought over next year. However, behind the headlines lies a more complicated story: a reform that is as much about political survival and international signalling as it is about domestic economics. US President Trump’s 50 per cent tariff will prove to be a killer for Indian industry used as it is to easy access to the vast American market. The only way out if India wants to continue to be a major player in the global marketplace is to reduce costs for India Inc., to help it compete in markets elsewhere against rivals like China, Vietnam and Brazil. Even if it doesn’t turn India into another China, the GST cuts will help slash input costs, finance charges for the aspiring Ambanis and Adani’s of this country. The cuts in taxes for goods ranging from shampoos to cancer drugs to insurance to small cars will also be GST in service of the “aspirational middle class,” a group that successive Indian governments court as both consumer base and political constituency. Yet the fiscal arithmetic is not so tidy. The immediate revenue impact could be extremely steep. FPJ News Service MUMBAI In a significant breakthrough ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s likely visit to Manipur on September 13, the Centre, the Manipur government, and Kuki-Zo groups have signed a fresh Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement that seeks to restore normalcy in the violence-scarred state. The revised agreement — signed on Thursday with the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF), which together represent 23 underground outfits — aims to maintain Manipur’s territorial integrity, en- CHARTING A NEW PATH ■ The agreement on suspension of operations by armed forces and tribal armed groups had expired in February last year. ■ The pact will allow Meiteis to travel freely on NH-2 linking Imphal and Dimapur. ■ With PM likely to travel to Imphal from Churachandpur, this is seen as a key step in regaining Meities’ trust. sure the free movement of goods and people along National Highway-2, and relocate militant camps away from vulnerable areas. Nirmeeti Patole MUMBAI The Maharashtra government’s recent Government Resolution (GR) granting Kunbi status to Marathas of Marathwada ended activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s hunger strike. But far from ending the controversy, it has ignited fresh doubts and criticism from within his own camp. While the state claims the GR will ease the issuance of caste certificates and extend reserva- Putin kavach for Modi Agencies Russian President Vladimir Putin has come out strongly in defence of Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping of China. Addressing a press at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, he cautioned against any nation trying to “dominate” global politics or security, even as he acknowledged the rise of “economic giants” such as India and China. “From an international law point of view, everyone must India and China have unique political systems and laws, Putin said and warned that bid to ‘punish’ them place their leaders in a difficult bind. “If one of them shows weakness, his political career will be over.” have equal rights, and must be in a similar position,” Putin declared, stressing the need for balance in international relations. He noted that large countries like India and China have unique political systems and domestic laws, warning that attempts to “punish” them place their leaders in a difficult bind. “If one of them shows weakness, his political career will be over,” Putin said. ‘Trump rejected bid to reset India ties’ US prez ups the Cold War ante on Russia, China FPJ News Service MUMBAI The Washington Post reports that the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have attempted to resolve the diplomatic standoff with New Delhi. The report, Inside the Trump team’s conflicting efforts to mend ties with India, says that Rubio and Greer went to the Oval Office recently to present Trump with a proposed Indian trade deal, but the president rejected it, the Post reported, quoting three people familiar with the matter, who spoke anonymously. The Post reported that with the relationship between the United States and India at its lowest point in decades, Washington’s inflammatory language toward New Delhi is deepening the crisis and complicating efforts to repair ties. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Agencies WASHINGTON US President Trump has ordered stepping up of preparations to deter Russia and China, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said, adding Washington is not seeking confrontation but aims to maintain a robust deterrence posture. “Demonstrations and parades are good, but the US hopes they will not manifest themselves in the form of a real military conflict,” he told Fox News. 4Contd on | nation US pulls India tariff gun on SC Agencies WASHINGTON The Trump administration took the fight over tariffs to the US Supreme Court on Wednesday, asking the justices to rule quickly that the president has the power to impose sweeping import taxes under federal law. Solicitor General D John Sauer asked the justices to take up the case and hear arguments in early November. The government cited India's case in the court papers, arguing that duties are central to US’s economic strength and to “peace” in Ukraine. In court papers, it insisted that tariffs are “a crucial aspect of our push for peace” in war-torn Ukraine. On August 27, the Trump administration doubled tariffs on India to 50% -- half imposed to penalise New Delhi for ramping up Russian oil imports after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and the other half under Trump’s “America First” push to cut trade deficits. 4Contd on | nation Jarange aide slams GR as ‘rubbish’ 4Contd on | nation 4See also | money, nation BEIJING According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the re-negotiated ground rules include strict physical verification of cadres by security forces to weed out foreign nationals, relocating weapons to nearby CRPF and BSF camps, and reducing the number of designated camps. A Joint Monitoring Group will oversee compliance, with violations potentially triggering a review of the SoO agreement. Officials said the pact has been extended for one more year and is expected to create a more secure environment for dialogue. “The KNO and UPF have abjured the path of violence and agreed to abide by the Constitution, the laws of the land, and Manipur’s territorial integrity,” the MHA said. The government warned that striking down the tariffs would expose the US to trade retaliation and undercut efforts to secure peace abroad. “We recently authorised tariffs against India for purchasing Russian energy products to deal with a preexisting national emergency regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine,” the administration wrote, adding that removing them “would thrust America to the brink of an economic catastrophe.” Sauer told the justices, “The stakes in this case could not be higher,” urging them to preserve the duties that a lower court had found unlawful. “With tariffs, the US is a rich nation; without tariffs, a poor nation,” the filing declared. “According to Trump, one year ago, the US was a dead country, and now, because of the trillions of dollars being paid by countries that have so badly abused us, America is a strong, financially viable, and respected country again.” 4Contd on | nation tion benefits, critics argue it offers nothing substantially new, raising fears that the community has once again lost out in the legal and political battle. The GR has been showcased by the government as a breakthrough solution. But Advocate Yogesh Kedar, a close aide of Jarange Patil and one of the key members of the protest movement, bluntly rejected the resolution. “Govt has won, Marathas lost. Every time Marathas have won on the battlefield, we lost at the table,” Kedar told The Free Press Journal. He alleged that the GR is merely a rehash of earlier processes: “I went through all the pages of the GR and told Jarange that there is nothing new. Last time, when we protested at Vashi, the government misled and trapped us. This is the same story again.” 4Contd on | nation 4See also | city SC takes up CCTV gaps in police stns FPJ News Service MUMBAI The Supreme Court has registered a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) over the lack of functional CCTV cameras in police stations, following reports of 11 custodial deaths in the past seven to eight months. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta took cognisance of a media report that highlighted the deaths, directing that the case be titled "Lack of Functional CCTVs in Police Stations." “The report shows 11 deaths in police custody in just 7–8 months of 2025. We are therefore registering this matter as a suo motu PIL,” the bench said. The court had first mandated installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations across the country in its landmark 2020 ruling delivered by Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman, KM Joseph and Aniruddha Bose. That judgment directed every state and union territory to install cameras with night vision capability, including audio recording, to ensure accountability during interrogations. 4Contd on | nation