National News
PM Modi to visit Maharashtra on Oct 8-9, inaugurate Navi Mumbai airport, host UK PM
Mumbai, Oct 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Maharashtra for two days, from October 8 to 9. During this time, he will inaugurate Navi Mumbai International Airport, launch and dedicate various projects in Mumbai, and host UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The Prime Minister will reach Navi Mumbai on Wednesday, and at around 3 p.m., will undertake a walkthrough of the newly built Navi Mumbai International Airport. Thereafter, at around 3.30 p.m., he will inaugurate Navi Mumbai International Airport and also launch and dedicate various projects in Mumbai. He will also address the gathering on the occasion.
PM Modi, on October 9, will host the UK Prime Minister in Mumbai. At around 1.40 p.m., the Prime Ministers of both countries will attend the CEO Forum at Jio World Centre, Mumbai. Thereafter, at around 2.45 p.m., both of them will attend the 6th edition of the Global Fintech Fest. They will also deliver keynote addresses at the Fest.
Phase 1 of Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), which will be inaugurated by PM Modi, has been built at a cost of around Rs 19,650 crore in line with his vision of transforming India into a global aviation hub.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport is India’s largest Greenfield airport project, developed under a Public–Private Partnership (PPP). As the second international airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, NMIA will work in tandem with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to ease congestion and elevate Mumbai into the league of global multi-airport systems. The airport, designed to be among the most efficient in the world with 1160 Ha area, will eventually handle 90 million passengers annually (MPPA) and 3.25 million metric tonnes of cargo.
Among its unique offerings is an Automated People Mover (APM), a transit system planned to connect all four passenger terminals for smooth inter-terminal transfers, as well as a landside APM linking the city-side infrastructure. In line with sustainable practices, the airport will feature dedicated storage for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), solar power generation of approximately 47 MW, and EV bus services for public connectivity across the city. NMIA will also be the first airport in the country to be connected by Water Taxi.
PM Modi will inaugurate Phase 2B of the Mumbai Metro Line-3, stretching from Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade, constructed at an estimated cost of around Rs 12,200 crore. With this, he will dedicate the entire Mumbai Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line) — to the nation, built at a total cost of over Rs 37,270 crore, marking a major milestone in the city’s urban transport transformation. As Mumbai’s first and only fully underground metro line, this project is set to redefine commuting across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), offering a faster, more efficient, and modern transit solution for millions of residents. The Mumbai Metro Line–3, spanning 33.5 km from Cuffe Parade to Aarey JVLR with 27 stations, will cater to 13 lakh passengers daily.
The final Phase 2B of the project will provide seamless connectivity to South Mumbai’s heritage and cultural districts, such as Fort, Kala Ghoda, and Marine Drive, along with direct access to key administrative and financial hubs, including the Bombay High Court, Mantralaya, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), and Nariman Point. The Metro Line-3 has been designed to ensure efficient integration with other modes of transport, including railways, airports, other metro lines, and monorail services, thereby enhancing last-mile connectivity and reducing congestion across the metropolitan region.
PM Modi will also launch ‘Mumbai One’ – Integrated Common Mobility App for 11 Public transport Operators (PTO) across Metro, Monorail, Suburban railways and Bus PTOs. These include Mumbai Metro Line 2A & 7, Mumbai Metro Line 3, Mumbai Metro Line 1, Mumbai Monorail, Navi Mumbai Metro, Mumbai Suburban Railway, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), Thane Municipal Transport, Mira Bhayander Municipal Transport, Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Transport and Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport.
Mumbai One App offers commuters a range of benefits, including integrated mobile ticketing across multiple Public Transport Operators, elimination of queueing by promoting digital transactions, and seamless multimodal connectivity through a single dynamic ticket for trips involving multiple transport modes. It also provides real-time journey updates on delays, alternative routes, and estimated arrival times, along with map-based information on nearby stations, attractions, and points of interest, and an SOS feature to ensure commuter safety. Together, these features enhance convenience, efficiency, and security, transforming the public transportation experience across Mumbai.
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Short-Term Employability Program (STEP), a pioneering initiative by the Department of Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation in Maharashtra. The programme will be rolled out across 400 Government ITIs and 150 Government Technical High Schools, marking a major step in aligning skill development with industry requirements to enhance employability. STEP will establish 2,500 new training batches, including 364 exclusive batches for women and 408 batches in emerging technology courses such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Electric Vehicles (EV), Solar, and Additive Manufacturing.
On October 9, PM Modi will host UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. This will be Starmer’s first official visit to India.
During the visit, the two Prime Ministers will take stock of progress in diverse aspects of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in line with ‘Vision 2035’, a focussed and time bound 10-year roadmap of programmes and initiatives in key pillars of trade and investment, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate and energy, health, education and people to people relations.
Both leaders will engage with businesses and industry leaders on opportunities presented by the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) as a central pillar of the future India-UK economic partnership. They will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance. The leaders will also engage with industry experts, policymakers and innovators.
Prime Minister Modi and UK PM Starmer will also participate in the 6th edition of the Global Fintech Fest at Jio World Centre, Mumbai and deliver keynote addresses on the occasion.
Global Fintech Fest 2025 will bring together innovators, policymakers, central bankers, regulators, investors, academicians, and industry leaders from around the world. The conference’s central theme, ‘Empowering Finance for a Better World’ – Powered by AI, Augmented Intelligence, Innovation, and Inclusion, highlights the convergence of technology and human insight in shaping an ethical and sustainable financial future.
This year’s edition is expected to attract a footfall of over 1,00,000 participants from more than 75 countries, making it one of the world’s largest fintech gatherings. The event will feature participation from around 7,500 companies, 800 speakers, 400 exhibitors, and 70 regulators representing both Indian and international jurisdictions.
Among the participating international institutions are renowned regulators such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Deutsche Bundesbank of Germany, Banque de France, and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). Their participation underscores GFF’s growing stature as a global forum for financial policy dialogue and cooperation.
New Delhi, July 31: The Supreme Court has ruled that a married daughter cannot be denied consideration for compassionate appointment merely because a state government policy allows such appointments only to divorced or deserted daughters, holding that such a classification is unconstitutional and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution.
A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale allowed an appeal filed by Sayara Khatoon and her daughter against a Patna High Court order, which had upheld the rejection of the daughter’s claim for compassionate appointment following the death of her father.
The appellants had questioned the Bihar government’s December 10, 2014 policy, under which only a divorced or deserted daughter is eligible for compassionate appointment.
The state government had also rejected the claim on the ground that the deceased employee’s brother had objected to the appointment.
However, the Supreme Court recorded that the brother had earlier furnished a no-objection certificate, observing that “the said ground for rejection no longer survives”.
On the policy restricting compassionate appointment to divorced or deserted daughters, the Justice Sundresh-led Bench held that any distinction between sons and daughters in such matters is constitutionally impermissible.
“This Court has repeatedly held that any classification differentiating a daughter from a son is, per se, unconstitutional,” the apex court said.
It added that “classification restricting eligibility only to a divorced or deserted daughter cannot be sustained in the eye of law”.
Rejecting the presumption underlying the Bihar government’s policy, the Supreme Court observed: “There cannot be a presumption in law that, after marriage, a daughter severs her ties with her parental family and resides with her husband in her matrimonial home.”
The order noted that the appellant had specifically stated that although her divorce had not been formally recognised in law, she had been living with her parental family and enjoyed the support of her mother and brother.
“In any event, adopting a hyper-technical approach cannot be a ground to deny consideration of her claim for compassionate appointment,” the bench said.
Setting aside the Patna High Court’s order as well as the rejection of the compassionate appointment claim, the apex court directed the Bihar authorities to reconsider the appellant’s case on merits.
“The respondent (Bihar government) is directed to consider the case of the appellant for compassionate appointment on merits within a period of eight weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order,” it ordered.
New Delhi, July 31: Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Friday responded to a question regarding the plight of families of Delhi Police personnel injured during the July 20 student march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament with a remark, “Are you from the BJP?”
Many families of Delhi Police personnel who sustained injuries during the clashes with protesting students on July 20 held a press conference earlier in the day, recounting their ordeal and personal hardships they underwent during the troubling hours.
They also demanded answers from those politicising the violence in favour of the protesting groups and sought justice for their family.
When a scribe questioned Rahul Gandhi on the Parliament premises, seeking his response to the press conference where the cops’ families shared their complaints and travails, the LoP snapped at him, asking, “Bhaiya, are you from the BJP?”
Rahul Gandhi’s response, seen as insensitive and indifferent to Delhi police personnel, comes after the families shared personal accounts of their sufferings, in the wake of violence inflicted on the injured personnel and questioned why their agony was being overlooked at the cost of protesters, many of whom have a ‘criminal past’.
According to reports, more than 200 police personnel were injured, some of them grievously, when the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march helmed by Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) turned violent, leading to stone-pelting and violence against the police by the protesting groups, which, as reports, were infiltrated by miscreants and those with criminal antecedents.
As the families of Delhi Police personnel injured in violent clashes during the July 20 students’ stir demanded justice in the press conference, the issue also snowballed into a political controversy with Congress and BJP firing salvos at each other.
A noted Opposition leader accused the government of hatching a plot to pit cops against the students to deflect attention from the brutality inflicted on them, while BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned the former’s sensitivity regarding police and their families.
Speaking to the media, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “The attack on police personnel and the injuries they sustained is a matter where we should show sensitivity. They also have families, they also have children, and they also have human rights.”
“We respect the youth, but if criminals are involved behind such protests and are involved in attacking police personnel, then it raises serious questions,” he stated.
New Delhi, July 31: Passengers travelling by train can now book and pay for excess luggage online while reserving their tickets, as Indian Railways on Friday rolled out a new digital facility aimed at making the travel process more convenient.
The service integrates excess luggage booking with the online ticket reservation system, eliminating the need for passengers to visit parcel offices separately before boarding.
Previously, travellers carrying baggage beyond the free allowance had to complete a separate booking process at railway parcel counters, often leading to additional paperwork and long queues.
The online excess luggage booking facility is available only to passengers holding confirmed tickets and is restricted to travel classes where carrying luggage beyond the free allowance is permitted upon payment of the prescribed charges.
Passengers travelling in AC First Class, AC 2-Tier, First Class, Sleeper Class and Second Class can avail of the service.
However, those travelling in AC 3-Tier and AC Chair Car will not be eligible, as the maximum permissible baggage limit in these classes is the same as the free luggage allowance.
Under the existing baggage rules, AC First Class passengers are entitled to carry up to 70 kg free of charge and can carry a maximum of 150 kg after paying excess luggage charges.
Passengers in AC 2-Tier and First Class are allowed 50 kg free, with a maximum permissible limit of 100 kg.
Sleeper Class passengers can carry 40 kg free and up to 80 kg in total, while Second Class passengers have a free allowance of 35 kg and a maximum limit of 70 kg.
In contrast, AC 3-Tier and AC Chair Car passengers can carry up to 40 kg, which also serves as the maximum permissible limit.
Indian Railways has clarified that passengers carrying baggage beyond the free allowance but within the prescribed maximum limits will be required to pay applicable excess luggage charges.
Apart from weight restrictions, the Railways also enforces size limits for luggage carried inside passenger coaches.
Trunks, suitcases and boxes measuring up to 100 cm × 60 cm × 25 cm are generally permitted inside compartments.
However, passengers travelling in AC 3-Tier and AC Chair Car coaches must adhere to a smaller size limit of 55 cm × 45 cm × 22.5 cm.
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