Pune: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said that India has to make its own decisions for the benefit of people here, just as the US does for itself, adding that the use of swadeshi goods needs to be increased.

The remarks come after the Trump administration decided to impose a 100 per cent tariff on branded and patented pharmaceutical products by the US on India beginning October 1.

Speaking to reporters here, Pawar stated that it was India’s responsibility to respond to decisions concerning the country in a dignified manner and to solely increase the use of swadeshi goods.

“Alright, we can make decisions about our own country, just as they are making decisions for theirs. If Trump or any other country’s leader has made a decision, it is because the people in that country have elected them, and thus they are exercising their right to make such decisions. Our responsibility is to respond to any decision concerning our country in a dignified manner and to increase the use of products made in our own country (swadeshi goods),” he said.

Remembering Mahatma Gandhi’s call for Swadeshi, Pawar said, “Now it has been reiterated by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It has been 75 years since our country gained independence, and now many items in our country are available in even higher quality than those imported from abroad. In fact, there are many things, such as clothes and others, that are manufactured here, but they sell them abroad by labelling them as made in their country.”

The Indian pharmaceutical sector supplies over 50 per cent of global demand for various vaccines, 40 per cent of generic demand in the US and 25 per cent of all medicines in the UK. India’s annual drug and pharmaceutical exports touched a record USD 30 billion in FY25, bolstered by a 31 per cent year-on-year surge in March.

According to a government release, drug and pharmaceutical exports increased by 6.94 per cent from USD 2.35 billion in August 2024 to USD 2.51 billion in August 2025 alone.

According to a separate government report, India’s pharmaceutical industry is a global powerhouse, ranking third in the world by volume and 14th in terms of production value. It supplies over 50 per cent of global vaccine demand and nearly 40 per cent of generics to the US. The industry is projected to grow to USD 130 billion by 2030 and a USD 450 billion market by 2047.

Kolkata, Sep 26: The Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered that all students’ hostels attached to Kolkata’s iconic Jadavpur University will remain closed for the entire Durga Puja vacation.

The Division Bench of Justice Sujay Paul and Justice Smita Das De also directed the Jadavpur University authorities to ensure that the students’ hostels attached to the university are closed within the next 48 hours and remain closed till the last day of the festival vacation.

The Bench observed that the decision was necessary to ensure that outsiders do not get access or entry to the hostel during the festival vacation period.

The division bench also advised the Jadavpur University authorities to take the help of the police if necessary to prevent the entry of outsiders in the hostels during the vacation period.

The division bench also advised the Jadavpur University authorities and the West Bengal Education Department to hold a meeting after the festival vacation period to discuss and decide on measures to be adopted to ensure in-campus security, especially as regards the installation of CCTV machines within the campus.

Based on the decision taken at the meeting, the university will have to submit a report to the same division bench on the date when the matter will come up for hearing after the festival vacation at the Calcutta High Court.

To recall, on March 2 this year, State Education Minister Bratya Basu faced students’ agitations while he reached Jadavpur University to attend a function of Trinamool Congress-affiliated West Bengal College and University Professors’ Association (WBCUPA).

In that scuffle, Basu and two agitating students of the university were injured.

After that, public interest litigation was recently filed at the Calcutta High Court regarding security issues within Jadavpur University. Earlier, in the hearing of this case, the Calcutta High Court had said that no political personality could be invited to any function or seminar at Jadavpur University.

New Delhi, Sep 26: Coal public sector undertakings (PSU) announced a performance-linked reward (PLR) of Rs 1,03,000 each for non-executive workers, an official statement said on Friday.

The reward payment will benefit approximately 2.1 lakh non-executive cadre employees of Coal India Ltd and its subsidiaries, along with around 38,000 non-executive workers at Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL), according to the statement.

The decision has a financial impact of Rs 2,153.82 crore for Coal India Ltd and Rs 380 crore for SCCL.

The government informed that payments will be credited on a pro rata basis based on attendance. PSUs under the Ministry of Coal announced this reward following the sixth meeting of the standardisation committee of the Joint Bipartite Committee for the Coal Industry.

The coal ministry announced that it aims to recognise the contribution and hard work of non-executive workers across all CIL subsidiaries and SCCL and ensure they are fairly rewarded for their efforts.

The payment of PLR provides a timely boost to the workers and their families during the festive season, it added.

The Performance-Linked Reward underlines the commitment of CIL and the Ministry of Coal to worker welfare, motivation, and recognition of contractor contributions.

By providing the PLR, CIL aims to boost productivity, morale, and job satisfaction among non-executive workers, who play a vital role in the company’s mining operations and thus significantly contribute to shaping an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

The recent GST reforms have eliminated the Rs 400 per tonne compensation cess previously levied on coal, while the GST rate on coal has been raised from 5 per cent to 18 per cent.

The coal ministry had earlier informed that the overall effect of the reforms, despite the increase in GST rates from 5 per cent to 18 per cent, is a lower tax incidence for final consumers, combined with a correction of the inverted duty structure that releases liquidity, eliminates distortions, and prevents large accounting losses for coal producers.