National News
Election for next President on July 18, result on July 21

Election for next President of India will be held on July 18 and counting of votes will take place on July 21. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced the schedule for the election for the President of India. The ECI has clarified that political parties cannot issue any whip to their MPs and MLAs in the matter of voting in the Presidential election.
Announcing the poll schedule, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that the term of President Ram Nath Kovind is coming to end on July 24.
As per the poll schedule, notification for the Presidential election will be issued on June 15 and the last day of filing of nomination will be June 29. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on June 30 and last day of withdrawal of nomination papers will be July 2. Polling, if required, will be held on July 18 and counting will take place on July 21. Secretary General, Rajya Sabha will be the Returning Officer for this election.
The President is elected by the members of the Electoral College consisting of elected members of both Houses of Parliament and elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of all states including National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The nominated members of either Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha or Legislative Assemblies of the States are not eligible to be included in the Electoral College and therefore, they are not entitled to participate in the election. Similarly, members of the Legislative Councils are also not electors for President.
“The value of votes of the elected members of State Legislative Assemblies and both Houses of Parliament is governed by Article 55(2) of the Constitution. The total value of votes for MLAs for the 16th Presidential Election is 5,43,231. The total value of votes for MPs is 5,43,200. The total value of vote of electors for the Presidential Election, 2022 is 10,86,431,” Kumar said.
The Chief Election Commissioner said, “A nomination paper of a candidate has to be subscribed by at least 50 electors as proposers and by at least other fifty electors as seconders. An elector can subscribe to only one nomination paper of a candidate as either a proposer or a seconder.”
A candidate can file a maximum of four nomination papers. The security deposit for the election is Rs 15,000, which is required to be made along with the nomination paper, or should be deposited in Reserve Bank of India or a Government Treasury under the relevant Head of Accounts for the purpose, prior to filing of nomination.
Members of Parliament are expected to cast their votes at the place of polling in the Parliament House and Members of State Legislative Assemblies are expected to vote at the respective State Legislative Assembly.
Kumar mentioned that the election to the office of President shall be by secret ballot and therefore, the electors are expected to scrupulously maintain secrecy of vote and any violation of the voting procedure will entail cancellation of the ballot paper by the Presiding Officer.
“It is also clarified that political parties cannot issue any whip to their MPs and MLAs in the matter of voting in the Presidential election,” Kumar said.
For marking the vote, the Commission will supply particular pens. The pen will be given to the electors in the polling station by the designated official when the ballot paper is handed over. Electors have to mark the ballot only with this particular pen and not with any other pen. Voting by using any other pen shall lead to invalidation of the vote at the time of counting.
To make elections eco-friendly, the election to the office of President of India, The ECI has directed the Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officers concerned to ensure use of eco-friendly and biodegradable material and eliminate the use of prohibited plastic or materials as per extant instructions of the Government of India.
Counting of votes will be held in New Delhi under the supervision of the Returning Officer.
Exclusive
Jammu and Kashmir: One tourist killed, 12 injured in Pahalgam terror attack, CM Omar Abdullah said, ‘Shocked’

Srinagar, April 22: One tourist was killed in a terrorist attack at Pahalgam hill station in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. At the same time, 12 others including tourists and locals were injured.
Terrorists attacked a group of tourists in the Baisaran area of Pahalgam hill station, killing one tourist and injuring nine other tourists and three locals.
According to the information received, 2 to 3 terrorists wearing army uniforms started firing at the tourists riding horses in the Baisaran area at around 2.30 pm. Baisaran is a small grassland 3 to 4 km from Pahalgam market and tourists resort to horses to reach here, as there is no motorable road to reach here.
“One tourist was killed and 12 others, including tourists and locals, were injured in the attack. The injured were rushed to Pahalgam hospital from where three seriously injured were shifted to Srinagar for specialised treatment,” an official said. He said security forces have cordoned off the area to trace the attackers.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on Xpost, “I am incredibly shocked. This attack on our visitors is a despicable act. The perpetrators of this attack are animals, inhuman and despicable. No words are enough to condemn. I offer my condolences to the families of the deceased. I have spoken to my colleague Sakina Itoo and she has left for the hospital to oversee arrangements for the injured. I am returning to Srinagar immediately.”
CM Abdullah wrote in another post, “The number of casualties is still being ascertained, so I do not want to go into those details. They will be officially disclosed when the situation becomes clearer. Needless to say, this attack is far bigger than any attack on civilians in recent years.”
PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti wrote on Twitter, “I strongly condemn the cowardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which tragically left five people dead and many injured. Such violence is unacceptable and must be condemned. Historically, Kashmir has warmly welcomed tourists, making this rare incident extremely worrying. A thorough investigation is needed to bring the perpetrators to justice and investigate possible security lapses. Ensuring the safety of visitors is paramount, and steps must be taken to prevent future attacks. Our condolences are with the victims and their families.”
Reacting to the incident, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed deep outrage and described the attack as “cowardly”. He assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir that those responsible for this heinous act will not be spared. He has spoken to the DGP and security officials. Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police teams have reached the area and started a search operation.
He said in a post on Twitter, “I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam. I assure the people that those behind this heinous attack will not be spared. Have spoken to the DGP and security officials. Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police teams have reached the area and started a search operation. Have directed the district administration and health officials to provide immediate medical facilities to those admitted in Pahalgam. An injured tourist has been rushed to GMC Anantnag. I pray for the speedy recovery of all the injured.”
This is the first terrorist attack on tourists in the Kashmir Valley in 2025, while the tourist season in the valley is increasing rapidly at this time.
All the hotels in Srinagar city and tourist resorts in Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg are fully occupied.
An unprecedented number of tourists are expected to visit Jammu and Kashmir this year and according to official estimates, around two crore tourists will visit the Union Territory this year.
Tuesday’s attack comes at a time when registration for this year’s Amarnath Yatra is underway across the country.
This year the yatra will begin on July 3 and end on August 9, coinciding with the festivals of Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan, respectively.
During his visit to Jammu and Kashmir last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had chaired a high-level security review meeting where he had ordered complete eradication of terrorism with special focus on the Jammu division.
He had also given directions to ensure zero tolerance towards infiltration. The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, IB Director, Army Chief, GoCs of all corps in Jammu and Kashmir, chiefs of paramilitary forces, Jammu and Kashmir DGP and intelligence officials.
Recently, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had stressed that to completely free Jammu and Kashmir from the curse of terrorism, the entire ecosystem of terrorism, including terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and supporters, will have to be dealt with.
Business
PLI pushes electronics exports to move up from 5th spot to 3rd in one fiscal: Minister

New Delhi, April 22: Electronics exports from India has moved up from fifth position to third within one fiscal, owing to the transformative production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.
In a post on social media platform, the minister said that electronics exports clocked an all-time high of Rs 3.27 lakh crore in FY25, with mobile exports standing at Rs 2 lakh crore.
“Electronics exports moves up from fifth position to third within one fiscal. Three years in a row, electronics is India’s fastest growing export amongst India’s top 10,” Vaishnaw informed.
He further stated that lakhs of new jobs have been created in the electronics ecosystem, especially for women, along with “skilling, increasing DVA and Indian MSMEs joining global supply chains”.
The electronics manufacturing industry has seen a five times growth in the last 10 years, surpassing Rs 11 lakh crore while the entire ecosystem has created 25 lakh jobs.
In the last decade, electronics exports have risen six times to surpass Rs 3.25 lakh crore.
In a historic achievement, smartphones emerged as India’s largest export category in the first 10 months of FY25 — marking a major success story under the government’s PLI scheme. In FY14, smartphones were ranked as India’s 167th export category — a sharp contrast to their number 1 position today.
The Union Minister also hailed hardware brands now lining up for India, as China stands to lose amid the ongoing trade tariff war with the US.
The PLI 2.0 scheme for IT Hardware saw more than Rs 10,000 crore production and 3,900 jobs in just 18 months of its launch, the government said in January this year. In a groundbreaking development for India’s electronics manufacturing sector, the production of laptops has started in the country.
Moreover, the electronics manufacturing sector has received a major boost with the government notifying the much-awaited ‘Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme’ (ECMS).
The scheme marks a turning point for strengthening India’s component manufacturing ecosystem and increasing domestic value addition.
With a financial outlay of Rs 22,919 crore over six years, ECMS aims to generate production worth Rs 4.56 lakh crore, attract investments of Rs 59,350 crore and create nearly 91,600 direct jobs.
Business
Gold touches Rs 1 lakh per 10 grams for 1st time

New Delhi, April 22: Gold prices reached a historic milestone on Tuesday as the rate of 24-carat gold touched Rs 1,00,000 per 10 grams for the first time ever.
According to the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA), the price of 24-carat gold rose sharply from Rs 96,670 to Rs 1,00,000 per 10 grams — a jump of Rs 3,300 within 24 hours.
Along with 24-carat gold, other categories also saw a steep rise. The price of 22-carat gold climbed to Rs 97,600 per 10 grams, 20-carat gold reached Rs 89,000 per 10 grams, and 18-carat gold touched Rs 81,000 per 10 grams.
On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), October futures briefly went above the Rs 1 lakh mark and touched an all-time high of Rs 1,00,484 per 10 grams — gaining nearly Rs 2,000 or 2 per cent in a single day.
Experts say the sudden spike in gold prices is due to increased global demand for gold as a safe-haven investment.
“The new all-time-high attained by the yellow metal is primarily influenced by the rising tensions between President Trump and US Fed Chair Jerome Powell regarding the Fed rate cut,” said Colin Shah, MD, Kama Jewellery.
This demand has been driven by rising geopolitical tensions and ongoing global economic uncertainties. His recent comments and decisions, including imposing tariffs on Chinese goods and questioning the Fed’s policies, have added to market volatility.
The weakening US dollar and interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve have made gold, a non-yielding asset, more attractive to investors.
Lower interest rates reduce the cost of holding gold, which leads to higher investments in the yellow metal.
Another major reason behind the price surge is central banks across the world, including India and China, increasing their gold reserves.
This strategy, known as ‘de-dollarisation,’ is aimed at reducing reliance on the US dollar and preparing for economic uncertainties by investing more in gold.
“While the gold price is on an upward trajectory, the fall in dollar will make gold affordable in other currencies, keeping the demand-price dynamics balanced,” Shah stated.
He added that domestically, it is observed that gold price witnesses a slight rise around festive season like Akshaya Tritiya, in reflection to the spike in demand.
With these global factors at play, analysts believe that gold prices may remain high in the near future.
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