The Morning Standard - March 25, 2025

In this issue

March 25, 2025

All eyes on Budget today as Yamuna, pollution and infra top focus of BJP govt

WEEKS after a new government was formed in the national capital, CM Rekha Gupta is set to table its first Budget on Tuesday.

1 min

SC Collegium Recommends Judge's Transfer

The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed the transfer of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma, who is under scrutiny after a huge pile of cash was found at his official residence, to the Allahabad HC.

1 min

HC Sets Aside Family Court's Order on Jain Couple Divorce

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has set aside an Indore family court's February 8, 2025 order that denied divorce by mutual consent to Jain couples under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act.

1 min

DEMOLITION JUSTICE AGAIN

AN FIR has been filed against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for making defamatory remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during a comedy show.

2 mins

8 Kerala CPM men sentenced to life for killing BJP worker

THE Thalassery Principal Sessions Court on Monday sentenced eight CPM workers to life imprisonment in connection with the murder of BJP's Elambilayi Sooraj, 32, in 2005.

1 min

Rahul Brit or Indian? Or both? Govt call in 4 weeks

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Monday granted the Central government a month's time to take a decision regarding the status of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'dual citizenship'.

1 min

Will present white paper on AAP's tenure, says CM

CHIEF Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Monday that her government will present a \"white paper\" on the tenure of the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regime in the national capital.

1 min

Minor Accuses Mother of Selling Her Off for ₹5L

A case of human trafficking came to light when a minor, 17, accused her mother of selling her for ₹5 lakh, forcing her into the flesh trade in Gurugram.

1 min

Minister Hints at Power Tariff Hike Due to ₹27K Cr Debt

ON the first day of the Delhi Vikas budget session, Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood indicated a potential rise in electricity prices, citing a ₹27,000 crore debt left by the previous AAP government with power distribution companies (Discoms) through the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC).

1 min

Absconding attendant held in murder of elderly couple

THE absconding attendant, accused of killing an elderly couple and robbing cash and jewellery from their house in northwest Delhi's Kohat Enclave area last week, has been arrested, police said on Monday, adding that the accused was identified as Deepak (41), resident of Kirari Suleman Nagar.

1 min

JNU Extends Last Date to Apply for MBA

THE deadline for applying to Jawaharlal Nehru University's (JNU) Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme has been extended to March 31, 2025 by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management.

1 min

DTC loses ₹1,700 cr due to stalled fare hike

IN THE ASSEMBLY: According to CAG report, last fare revision was implemented on November 3, 2009

1 min

AAP Walkout Over 'Speaker Blocking Discussion on ₹2,500 Scheme'

AAP MLAs walked out of the Delhi Assembly on Monday, accusing Speaker Vijender Gupta of blocking a discussion on the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana.

2 mins

Budget Can't Be Formed By Making 'Kheer', But On Economy Data: Atishi

The five-day Budget session of the Delhi assembly began on Monday with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta initiating a new tradition, the 'Kheer' ceremony, prior to the budget presentation.

1 min

Nearly 5 Lakh Students Failed to Get Admission to DU in Last Three Years

NEARLY five lakh applicants could not secure a seat in Delhi University (DU) in the last three years, the education ministry told Parliament on Monday, adding that the university saw a surge in the number of applications received each year against the limited number of seats.

1 min

UP is same but perception has completely changed: Yogi

GOOD governance coupled with fast-paced and robust economic growth has come to characterise Uttar Pradesh in the last eight years, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claimed on Monday.

2 mins

38-Yr-Old Man Shoots Self Dead With Illegal Pistol

A 38-year-old lathe machine operator allegedly shot himself in the head on Monday morning in northwest Delhi's Prem Nagar area, police said.

1 min

PM Modi to inaugurate two infra projects for Haryana in April

PRIME Minister Modi will visit Haryana on April 14 to inaugurate two major infrastructure projects — the Maharaja Aggarsain International Airport at Hisar and the 800-MW Deenbandhu Chhottu Ram Thermal Power Plant in Yamunanagar — aimed at enhancing regional connectivity and boosting economic growth.

1 min

If education system falls into RSS hands, country will be destroyed

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Monday joined a protest organized by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.

1 min

Man Arrested for Duping Businessman of ₹30 Lakh on Pretext of Selling Gold

A 59-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly defrauding a person of ₹30 lakh on the pretext of selling fake ‘excavated’ gold, police said, adding, the accused was identified as Mohan Rai, resident of Uttam Nagar.

1 min

Capital ramps up desilting efforts

Ahead of monsoon, NDMC to install rainwater harvesting systems in 27 flood-prone areas

1 min

Speaker Calls for System to Monitor CAG Report Actions

AFTER the Accountant General (Audit) recommended that the Delhi government establish an online portal for real-time monitoring of Action Taken Notes (ATNs) submitted by its departments on Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports, Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta wrote to Chief Secretary Dharmendra on Monday, urging the implementation of the Audit Para Monitoring System (APMS).

1 min

Pleas filed in HC over Saket, Rouse Avenue and Patiala House bar polls

THE Delhi High Court on Monday received three petitions concerning the recently concluded bar association elections at Patiala House Court, Saket Court, and Rouse Avenue Court.

1 min

Couple Set to Marry, Kill Infant, Dump Body in Bin

POLICE have arrested a young couple on charges of killing a newborn and dumping the body into a garbage bin at Ambadgatti village in Belagavi district on March 5.

1 min

E-betting: Organisers join celebrities as accused

CONTINUING the crackdown on illegal betting, the Miyapur police on Monday submitted a memo to the Kukatpally court requesting that around 20 organisers be added to the list of accused — which was limited to celebrities promoting the betting apps — in the case.

1 min

Man held after girl dies by piece of rock ejected in illegal blast

A 10-year-old girl grazing goats with her mother was killed on the spot after a piece of rock from a boulder, illegally blasted with gelatin sticks 200 metres away, hit her head on Sunday evening near Vikravandi.

1 min

SC to hear petition over honey trap bid on K'taka minister, judges today

A PIL has been moved before the Supreme Court seeking a probe by an independent investigating agency, i.e., CBI or a Special Investigation Team (SIT), over allegations of a honey trap scandal in Karnataka involving a senior minister and 48 others—including legislators, politicians, and judges.

1 min

Andhra Set to Relaunch Capital Project

Ground levelling work intensifies in Amaravati with PM scheduled to flag off construction

1 min

A community to secure banana heritage in Kerala

Farmers shift to Cavendish variety of banana

2 mins

Tamil Nadu MPs to Meet PM Soon Over Delimitation: Stalin

TAMIL NADU Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday announced in the Assembly that a delegation of 39 MPs from the state would soon call on Prime Minister Modi to press for a fair delimitation of Lok Sabha seats.

1 min

Sanitary workers dump sewage at YouTuber house in Chennai, assault mother

A group of more than 20 vandals, who are suspected to be sanitary workers, barged into the house of YouTuber Savukku Shankar in Kilpauk on Monday morning and dumped sewage inside his house besides allegedly assaulting his mother who was alone at that time.

1 min

Women's Quota Missing in Delimitation Debate

The elephant in the room is reservation for women of one-third seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies as well as the National Capital Region post the expiry of the 2026 deadline.

3 mins

Train Hijack: A Wake-Up Call for Pak Army

With its domestic security challenges multiplying, the army is continuously over-extending itself. There are Chinese concerns to mind too. Surely something has got to give

4 mins

Duty on onion exports cut by 20%, farmers will have edge in int'l markets: Govt

UNION Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday announced that the government has decided to reduce export duty on onions by 20%, effective from April 1, to ensure that farmers receive a remunerative price.

1 min

Why Muslim Quota Comes Under OBC Reservation, Ask Experts

The reservation issue once again took centre stage in Parliament as the BJP and Congress locked horns over Muslim reservations in Karnataka.

2 mins

24% pay hike for MPs: Salary, daily allowances and pensions revised

THE Centre announced a 24% salary hike for Members of Parliament, effective April 1, 2023, raising their monthly salary to ₹1.24 lakh, with additional allowances and perks.

1 min

Finance bill a 'classic case of patchwork', says Tharoor

THE Opposition and the treasury Benches locked horns in Lok Sabha on Monday over issues such as US tariff, GST and fund allocation for states during a debate on the Finance Bill 2025.

1 min

Most Oppressed Need to Be Empowered

Several states, including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Haryana, have recently sub-classified Scheduled Caste (SC) categories to give targeted benefits to historically marginalized SC sub-groups.

3 mins

Ahead of reciprocal tariff, US team arrives today to fix BTA framework

AHEAD of President Donald Trump's proposed announcement on April 2 regarding reciprocal tariffs on countries, including India, a high-level US delegation will arrive here on Tuesday for a five-day visit to advance discussions on a framework for the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between the two countries.

1 min

Colonel's family lifts dharna after CM's assurance

THE family of Army Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath on Monday ended their dharna before the Patiala deputy commissioner's office after an assurance from the state government that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann would meet them on March 31 and listen to their grievance.

1 min

Yoga Takes Over Meghalaya's Living Root Bridge

IN a fusion of tradition, nature and well-being, yoga practitioners unrolled their mats at one of India's most astonishing natural marvels—the 'Double Decker Living Root Bridge' in Meghalaya.

1 min

Task force to check rising trend of student suicides

SC forms panel to address mental health issues on edu campuses

2 mins

SC seeks Maha response on demolition of house

Petitioner seeks contempt proceedings against municipal authority

2 mins

11K duped of ₹422 crore in BZ scam, Gujarat warns action against accused

The Gujarat government admitted in the Assembly on Monday that 11,183 people were duped of a staggering ₹422 crore in the massive BZ investment scam.

1 min

Soren says will conduct caste census in next financial year

THE Jharkhand government plans to conduct a caste-based survey in the next financial year, Transport, Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Deepak Birua informed the state Assembly on Monday in response to a question raised by Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav.

1 min

Assam Deputy Speaker suffers hand injury in scuffle with Cong MLAs

ASSAM Assembly Deputy Speaker Numal Momin was reportedly hurt in a scuffle with some Congress MLAs that broke out in the Assembly complex on Monday.

1 min

Canadian PM Calls Snap Polls Amidst Trump's Shenanigans

NEW Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Conservative opponent said US President Donald Trump must respect Canada's sovereignty as they kicked off their election campaigns on Sunday against the backdrop of a trade war and Trump's annexation threats.

1 min

South Korean court restores Han Duck-soo as nation's PM

SOUTH Korea's Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Monday, reinstating him as acting president — a role he took after the president was suspended for declaring martial law.

1 min

AIDS Could See 10-Fold Jump as US Stops Funds, Byanyima Says

The sudden halt to US foreign aid funding has been \"devastating,\" the UNAIDS chief said on Monday, warning that without more funding, millions more will die and the global AIDS pandemic will resurge.

1 min

Egypt's New Truce Plan Gets Hamas' Positive Nod

ISRAELI strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed more than 60 Palestinians, including women and children, the Gaza Health Ministry said Monday, nearly a week after Israel broke its ceasefire with Hamas with a surprise bombardment.

1 min

U.S., Russian officials meet in Riyadh, discuss truce

Kremlin says Black Sea Initiative is on agenda; Ukrainian team to meet Americans again

1 min

Thai Govt Faces Its First No-Confidence Motion, Expected To Survive It

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Monday faced a no-confidence motion in parliament as the opposition alleged she was being unduly influenced by her father, a former prime minister, and is mismanaging the country.

1 min

EaseMyTrip enters aviation mkt; to acquire 49% stake in Big Charter

TRAVEL platform firm - EaseMyTrip said on Monday that it has received in-principle Board approval to acquire a 49% stake in Big Charter Pvt Ltd, a player in India's charter aviation sector. This marks EaseMyTrip's entry into the charter and non-scheduled aviation market. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.

1 min

EaseMyTrip Enters Aviation Market; To Acquire 49% Stake in Big Charter

TRAVEL platform firm EaseMyTrip said on Monday that it has received in-principle Board approval to acquire a 49% stake in Big Charter Pvt Ltd, a player in India's charter aviation sector.

1 min

Sebi Doubles FPI Threshold for Disclosures

THE Sebi in its board meeting on Monday doubled the disclosure threshold of foreign funds for investments in domestic company assets to ₹50,000 crore from ₹25,000 crore.

1 min

BTA talks: US trade officials to visit today

As part of the ongoing discussions on the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), a delegation of officials from the US will visit India from March 25-29.

1 min

Govt plans to abolish equalisation levy

THE government has proposed the abolition of the 6% Equalisation Levy on online advertising in the Finance Bill 2025, reducing the tax burden on digital ad consumers and lowering costs on platforms like Google and Meta.

1 min

Start-ups see 9% surge in funding in Q1 2025

IN the first quarter of this calendar year (January-March 2025), start-ups have witnessed a 9% increase in funding at $2.5 billion.

1 min

Sebi to Set Up Panel to Review Disclosure Norms for Board Officials

STUNG by the controversy over the alleged conflict of interest of its previous chief, the capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has constituted a high-level committee to review and fortify the public disclosure mechanism for its top officials so that there are no conflict of interest issues.

1 min

Sensex winning streak continues; up 1,078 pts

Rebound was supported by FII inflows amid a strengthening rupee

1 min

Airtel's MD Vittal elected as new GSMA chairman

BHARTI Airtel's vice-chairman and managing director Gopal Vittal has been elected as the new Chairman of the GSMA, effective until the end of 2026.

1 min

Only 8% disbursed under telecom PLI in FY25

DISBURSEMENTS under the Production-linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for telecom manufacturing have been a paltry ₹13.75 crore against the revised estimate (RE) of ₹1,450.97 crore for 2024-25, a parliamentary committee on the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) revealed in its report recently.

1 min

Vignesh's tale

THE nature of the Indian Premier League (IPL) doesn't lend itself well to the primacy of scouts.

3 mins

Always an honour to open for Chennai, says Rachin

CHENNAI Super Kings have had a line of elite openers. Right from the days of Matt Hayden, the franchise have based their planning on an overseas opener. Matt Hayden, Michael Hussey, Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson and, most recently, Devon Conway.

1 min

Quarter-miler Rupal triumphs

UTTAR Pradesh's Rupal Chaudhary won gold in women's 400m at the Indian Open 400m Competition here on Monday.

1 min

Spain Set Up France Nations League Semifinal

HOLDERS Spain beat the Netherlands on penalties after a dramatic quarterfinal second leg in Valencia finished 3-3 on Sunday to set up a Nations League last-four clash with France, who edged Croatia in a shoot-out after a 2-2 aggregate draw.

1 min

Minakshi, Pooja book semis berth

REIGNING national champion Minakshi (45-48kg) produced a giant performance on Monday.

1 min

NIGHT OF GIANTS-KILLERS

Ashutosh and Vipraj play twin blinders at the backend to help Delhi script memorable win

3 mins

The miniaturist of everyday life

Poet and prose stylist Vinod Shukla has been a writer of life as he has lived and found it both in his home and family, and next door.

3 mins

The miniaturist of everyday life

A new poster, unveiling Ajay Devgn's look from Raid 2, was unveiled on Monday. In the poster, shared by Devgn on his social media, he can be seen looking intensely into the camera with a tower of files behind him. \"Naya Shehar.

1 min

The Pizza Showman Has Landed

Orbit toss, mid-air flips, and sky-high dough spins...Italian chef Pasqualino Barbasso spoke to TMS on his gravity-defying pizza manoeuvres, the humble start at his family's pizzeria to becoming an acrobatics pizza champion, during his Delhi visit

2 mins

KEEP IT COOL

TMS speaks to fashion gurus about blending style and comfort to take on the blazing summer

2 mins

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