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Deccan Herald
23 minutes ago
- Business
- Deccan Herald
Why India won't bow to US pressure on Russian oil
United States President Donald Trump could not have chosen a worse time from his standpoint to threaten 'secondary tariffs' on India if it continues to buy Russian the persuasive consequence of this threat. If Trump's tariff threat follows its course, he will co-ordinate his actions with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has separately authored a Bill to impose 500% penalties on countries which buy Russian oil, including India. The Bill has co-sponsorship from Senate Democrats Indian lobbyists go to Capitol Hill to discuss these sanctions, Senators will lend their ears to pleas that India is not a party to the Ukraine war and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has good relations with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Modi even visited Kyiv. India is in no position to stop the Russia-Ukraine war, so why punish India and damage its relations with the US for no reason or logic? The Bill has clauses for waiver from punitive tariffs. In all likelihood, India will get a waiver, but that is putting the cart before the horse since the Bill itself is a long way from becoming Trump is in the wrong place at the wrong time on the India sanctions threat because in both New Delhi and Moscow, preparations have begun in earnest for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India this year. Unless there is a cataclysmic escalation in the Ukraine conflict, the 23rd bilateral summit between Modi and Putin will take place in New Delhi soon. India-Russia ties are far too important for the summit to be abandoned by any economic fallout of the US sanctions, howsoever sweeping. There are elements to global diplomacy which are not yet subject to Trump's whim. The Modi-Putin engagement is one such. Trump was ill-served by his advisers in proposing these secondary sanctions at this juncture. But, being ill-served by aides is nothing new for this US India's ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar, said in a recent interview with Russian media outlet, RT, that '70% of trade turnover between Russia and India is already being serviced in their national currencies.' He predicted that this figure is set to increase. Since the US dollar is not the main currency for the settlement of commodity purchases from Russia, it poses a challenge to US authorities in determining the quantum of Russian oil bought by India. No country buying Russian oil — India, China or Turkey — will certify sua sponte that they are meeting or not meeting Washington's threshold on secondary tariffs. In the end, purchasers of Russian energy across the world may simply call Trump's bluff and continue trading with Moscow as they have done all along since the start of the war in Ukraine more than three years said India's oil companies — whose purchase decisions are not controlled by the government — 'import oil accrued from whichever sources they find the most competitive, price-wise, and are most sustainable.' That is why, he added, 'Russian crude continues to flow into India.'Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri has said many times that the oil market determines where to buy from. These are not political decisions. It is not as if India is deliberately buying Russian oil to fund the war in Ukraine. Besides, Europe continues to buy petroleum products refined in India, which may or may not include crude sourced from Russia. This is an argument that politicians in Washington will ultimately pay heed to in their conventional between Moscow and New Delhi have advanced significantly on major arms deals to be inked during Putin's visit. During the Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru, Russia's most advanced fighter aircraft, Sukhoi-57, stole the show by mass approval both among experts and the lay viewers of aerobatics. Any doubts in India about Russia's Sukhoi series have been set at rest after their stellar performance in the Ukraine war. Following the Aero India in February, Russia's ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, was quoted in the global defence industry media as saying: 'We are offering (India) our fifth-generation fighter…not only to sell, but to co-produce. We offer technology sharing.'Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on July 16 that 'in today's warfare, you can't win with yesterday's weapon systems. Today's warfare has to be fought with tomorrow's technology.' When hard-nosed negotiations begin with the US on the threatened sanctions, the Trump administration will find itself on a weak wicket because it is hamstrung under its domestic laws from supplying technologies to India, which Russia is offering to share, along with its advanced weaponry. That is how India evaded sanctions in Trump's first term and bought Russia's S-400 long-range air defence systems. They proved their worth during the recent Operation Sindoor. That history may well repeat itself with Graham's sanctions Bill and the president's 100% secondary tariff threats. (K P Nayar has extensively covered West Asia and reported from Washington as a foreign correspondent for 15 years.)Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
Time of India
37 minutes ago
- Business
- Time of India
PM Modi inaugurates over Rs 7,200 crore worth development projects in Bihar's Motihari; rail, road schemes in focus
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on Friday laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects worth over Rs 7,217 crore at Motihari in Bihar. The inaugurated projects include rail, road, rural development, fisheries, electronics and Information Technology developmental projects and schemes. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Data Science Operations Management Healthcare Product Management Leadership Technology CXO Finance healthcare Degree Project Management MBA PGDM Others Design Thinking Cybersecurity others Public Policy Digital Marketing Data Analytics Data Science Management Artificial Intelligence MCA Skills you'll gain: Duration: 30 Weeks IIM Kozhikode SEPO - IIMK-AI for Senior Executives India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Prof Cert in DS & BA with GenAI India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Postgraduate Cert in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIT Madras CERT-IITM Advanced Cert Prog in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK DABS India Starts on undefined Get Details Railway projects launched in Bihar Modi flagged off four new Amrit Bharat trains between Rajendra Nagar Terminal (Patna) to New Delhi, Bapudham Motihari to Delhi, Darbhanga to Lucknow, and Malda Town to Lucknow via Bhagalpur to improve connectivity in the region. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Europe's 30 Most Beautiful Hidden Coastal Towns – Ranked by Travel Lovers Learn More Undo PM Modi dedicated multiple rail projects to the nation, including doubling of the Darbhanga-Thalwara and Samastipur-Rambhadrapur rail line, part of the Darbhanga-Samastipur doubling project worth over Rs 580 crore. This project aims to enhance the railway operation capacity. Another railway upgradation involved Darbhanga-Narkatiaganj rail line doubling project worth Rs 4,080 crore. He also inaugurated automatic signalling between the Samastipur-Bachhwara rail line and Bhatni-Chhapra Gramin rail line to enable efficient train operations in this section. Live Events Road projects inaugurated in Bihar PM Modi laid the foundation stone for 4-laning of Ara bypass of NH-319 connecting Ara-Mohania NH-319 and Patna-Buxar NH-922. He also inaugurated 4-lane Parariya to Mohania section of NH-319, worth over Rs 820 crore. Modi launched a 2-lane highway from Sarwan to Chakai to facilitate the movement of goods and people and act as a key link between Bihar and Jharkhand. IT projects launched in Bihar As a move to boost industry and startups, PM Modi inaugurated a New Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) facility at Darbhanga along with Incubation Facility of STPI at Patna. This project will nurture the tech startup ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs in the state. Other projects launched by PM Modi The prime minister, during his visit to Bihar, inaugurated a series of fisheries development projects sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). With this, the government will launch modern fisheries infrastructure including new fish hatcheries, biofloc units, fish feed mills, ornamental fish farming, and integrated aquaculture units across various districts in Bihar. Modi also announced that the government will release Rs 400 crore to around 61,500 Self-Help Groups in Bihar under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojna-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). During prime minister's visit to Bihar, he released over Rs 160 crore to 40,000 beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin. PM Modi is set to visit West Bengal later on Friday to lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects worth over Rs 5000 crore at Durgapur. He will also address the public gathering during his visit. "We welcome the Honorable Prime Minister Ji to the land of Bihar. The significant gift you are giving to Bihar today will prove crucial in accelerating the state's development," Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said ahead of PM's visit to Bihar. — NitishKumar (@NitishKumar)
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
PM to visit Bengal amid migrant row, launch ₹5K cr projects, address rally
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit West Bengal on Friday afternoon to address a BJP rally in Durgapur and unveil infrastructure projects worth Rs 5,000 crore. The visit comes in a politically charged backdrop marked by TMC's outcry over alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in several BJP-ruled states. This will be Modi's first visit to the state after Samik Bhattacharya was appointed the new Bengal BJP president earlier this month. "West Bengal is suffering due to TMC misrule. People are seeing the BJP with hope and are convinced that only the BJP can deliver on development. Tomorrow, 18th July, will be addressing a @BJP4Bengal rally in Durgapur. Do join!" the PM posted on X on Thursday night. With West Bengal slated to go to the polls next year, the PM's visit is being seen as a high-voltage political manoeuvre by the BJP to consolidate its position in the state. It comes just days before Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's annual Martyrs' Day rally on July 21, where she is expected to issue a clarion call to her party workers ahead of the polls. In a significant political backdrop to the prime minister's visit, West Bengal is witnessing a wave of protests and strong political rhetoric over the detention and alleged linguistic profiling of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-governed states, including Assam, Odisha, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. Alleging that Bengalis are being routinely targeted and accused of being "illegal Bangladeshis", Banerjee and the TMC have sharpened their Bengali identity pitch, a strategy that proved electorally effective during the 2021 assembly polls in blunting the BJP's Hindutva narrative. The TMC leadership has accused the BJP of "criminalising poverty and linguistic profiling" and using national security as a tool to "harass" economically vulnerable migrant workers, turning what began as scattered reports of harassment into a full-blown political flashpoint in Bengal. Reacting sharply, the BJP has blamed the TMC government for the confusion over citizenship documentation. "The lines between real citizens and those using forged documents have become increasingly blurred. Thousands of infiltrators from Bangladesh have created fake papers identifying them as Bengal residents and are now roaming across the country as Indians," a Bengal BJP leader said. As the war of words escalates, the BJP Bengal unit expects the prime minister to use the Durgapur platform to sharpen its counter-narrative and project the Centre's development agenda in contrast to what the party calls the TMC's politics of appeasement and identity mobilisation. On the development front, the prime minister will launch a slew of development projects worth over Rs 5,000 crore. "Looking forward to being among the people of West Bengal tomorrow, 18th July. At a programme in Durgapur, will lay the foundation stones for various works and also inaugurate projects worth over Rs. 5000 crore. The projects cover sectors like oil and gas, power, railways, roads," the PM posted on X on Thursday night.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Patna-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express train: PM Modi to inaugurate new route in Bihar today; check schedule, fare and more
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be flagging off four new Amrit Bharat Express trains in Bihar on Friday, in a major boost to rail infrastructure and regional connectivity. PM Modi is scheduled to visit Bihar and West Bengal on 18th July. During his visit, he will inaugurate, dedicate, and lay the foundation stone for a series of development projects worth over Rs 7,200 crore at a public function in Motihari, Bihar, around 11:30 AM. The inauguration of these new trains aim to provide affordable, modern, and comfortable travel for passengers, particularly in Bihar and eastern India. The new services include routes from Rajendra Nagar Terminal (Patna) to New Delhi, Bapudham Motihari to Delhi (Anand Vihar Terminal), Darbhanga to Lucknow (Gomti Nagar), and Malda Town to Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) via Bhagalpur. This marks a significant step towards a future-ready Indian Railways. For its inaugural run, a special Amrit Bharat Express will depart Rajendra Nagar Terminal at 11:45 am on Friday, July 18, and arrive in New Delhi at 4:00 pm the next day. Another special return service will leave New Delhi at 6:00 pm on July 19 and reach Rajendra Nagar Terminal at 11:45 pm the following night, PTI reported. Patna New Delhi Amrit Bharat schedule The Patna–New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express (Train No. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play 2025's Best Games for Less! Shop Now Undo 22361/22362) will commence regular daily service from July 31, 2025, the Northern Railway has announced. Train No. 22361 will depart from Rajendra Nagar Terminal at 7:45 pm daily and reach New Delhi at 1:10 pm the following day. Train No. 22362, the return service, will begin from New Delhi at 7:10 pm from August 1, reaching Rajendra Nagar Terminal at 11:45 am the next day. Patna New Delhi Amrit Bharat halts The train will halt at Patna, Danapur, Ara, Buxar, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction, Dubedarganj, Govindpuri, and Ghaziabad. The same stoppages will be made in the journey back. Patna–New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express fare According to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the fare for the Sleeper Class between Patna and Delhi is Rs 560 slightly higher than the Rs 520 charged by most existing trains on the route. Officials explained the price increase is due to the enhanced passenger amenities and jerk-free ride offered by the Amrit Bharat Express. Patna–New Delhi Amrit Bharat c oaches The train will comprise: 8 Sleeper Class coaches 11 General coaches 2 luggage-cum-brake vans 1 pantry car Other Amrit Bharat routes The Patna–New Delhi route marks the first Amrit Bharat train on this route and the fourth such train in India. Previous Amrit Bharat services include: Darbhanga–Anand Vihar Terminal Malda Town–SMVT Bengaluru Mumbai LTT–Saharsa On July 18, the PM will also flag off Amrit Bharat trains on the following routes: Bapudham Motihari to Delhi (Anand Vihar Terminal) Darbhanga to Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) Malda Town to Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) via Bhagalpur These new services are part of the government's wider effort to modernise India's railway system, offering affordable and reliable mobility options while improving regional rail access. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
India Today
2 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Tejashwi's 'mutton party' dig at PM ahead of his Bihar visit: He's coming again
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his visit to Bihar, fuelling the ongoing controversy over non-vegetarian feasts during the holy month of Sawan and accusing the BJP of "double standards".In a post on X, Tejashwi listed a sarcastic schedule for the Prime Minister's visit, claiming he would begin by "honouring leaders who hold mutton parties during Sawan".advertisement"First of all, he will feel proud to honour leaders who hold mutton parties during Sawan on stage in Motihari, publicly showcasing the double standards of his sermons. He will blame uncontrolled crime in Bihar on governments from five decades ago. He will unleash such a heavy downpour of 'jumlas' (rhetoric) that even Lord Indra will be embarrassed," Tejashwi Yadav said in a post in Hindi. "He will not announce whether Nitish Kumar will remain NDA's Chief Minister after the election. He will excessively use words like Jungle Raj, Opposition, Lalu Prasad, RJD, Muslims, etc," the former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister added. Along with his post, the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly also shared an image which showed a cartoon potrayal of PM Modi with a note on paper which read: "Bihar bado bado ko deta hai sudhar, dekho! Ye dikhane lage hain pyaar. Fir aa rahe hain Bihar. (Bihar teaches lessons to the mighty, see! Now he is pretending to show love. He is coming back to Bihar again)Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to address a public rally in Motihari in East Champaran district today where he will inaugurate development projects worth over Rs 7,000 crore. Assembly elections in Bihar are most likely to be held later this controversy over non-veg feasts during holy months has remained politically sensitive in Bihar. Two years ago, the BJP attacked the Congress-RJD alliance after RJD chief Lalu Prasad hosted a mutton feast during Sawan, attended by Rahul Gandhi. Last year, Prime Minister Modi accused Tejashwi of insulting Hindu sentiments after a video showed him eating fish during Navratri — a clip the BJP still uses to hit back at the Tejashwi Yadav took a jibe at Union Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Lalan Singh for hosting a "mutton party" in Lakhisarai district, which falls under the Munger Lok Sabha constituency, represented by him. "BJP would now say that it is 'punya' that Lalan Singh is feeding mutton to his people & workers, because he is their ally & a Union Minister. They won't say anything now. When PM comes here tomorrow, I hope he will speak on Lalan Singh, that he is feeding mutton in Sawan," the RJD leader told news agency ANI. - EndsMust Watch
