Author: colorsnews.in

New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) The three Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Regions (PCPIRs) set up over the past 12 years at Dahej in Gujarat, Visakhapatnam–Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, and Paradeep in Odisha have attracted investments of Rs 3.4 lakh crore, generated over 3.7 lakh jobs, and facilitated the establishment of more than 2,200 chemical manufacturing units, according to a factsheet issued by the government on Wednesday.

India’s FDI policy, allowing 100 per cent FDI under the automatic route for most chemical sectors, has supported investment in the sector. FDI inflow during 2014–2026 stood at Rs. 1,04,895 crores, which is more than twice the FDI received during 2004–2014 at Rs. 45,240 crores, the factsheet states.

In the Union Budget 2026–27, the government also announced a scheme to establish three Chemical Parks on a cluster-based plug-and-play model to strengthen domestic manufacturing, reduce import dependence, and enhance global competitiveness. The Union Cabinet has approved the BHAVYA Rasayan Scheme (Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana Rasayan) for setting up three Chemical Parks, with a provision of over Rs 3,030 crore. The proposed parks are expected to support the chemical sector and the integrated circular economy principle.

The Centre’s Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals has expanded infrastructure support for downstream plastic processing industries. As many as 10 Plastic Parks have been approved across the country, out of which four have achieved 100 per cent infrastructure completion, including three being completed during 2025–26. Furthermore, the department has expanded the network of the Centre of Excellence to support research and innovation. The 18 Centres of Excellence have filed 85 patents, published over 600 research papers, and developed 105 new technologies and products.

The Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET) has also expanded its network and facilities by establishing the Centre for Skilling and Technical Support, the Plastic Waste Management Centre, the School of Advanced Research in Petrochemicals, the Advanced Research School for Technology and Product Simulation, and the Advanced Polymer Design and Development Research Laboratory.

The CIPET network has expanded to 51 centres, including 19 established since 2014. It has trained nearly 6.72 lakh skilled professionals, including over 5.21 lakh during 2014-24, and completed 8.53 lakh technology support service assignments during 2014-24.

Besides, over the last 12 years, the Institute of Pesticide Formulation Technology (IPFT), Gurugram, has developed capabilities in sustainable crop protection, agrochemical formulation, and advanced analytical sciences. Equipped with laboratories and pilot-scale facilities, IPFT has developed and transferred 64 pesticide formulation technologies to the industry. The Institute is NABL-accredited and an OECD-GLP-compliant Test Facility.

The Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals is also promoting safe and judicious use of pesticides in crops through awareness programs conducted by HIL (India) Limited, a PSU under the Department, and the IPFT, an autonomous body under the Department. Both organisations are conducting farmers’ training programmes on the safe and judicious use of pesticides and promoting the adoption of Integrated Pest Management Practices to minimise pesticide residue in food grains, edible oils, fruits, and vegetables. Till date, more than 250 programmes have been organised, benefiting more than one lakh farmers across the country, the statement added.

–IANS

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Kolkata, Aug 5 (IANS) The Sixth Joint Working Group meeting on defence cooperation between India and Uzbekistan was held in Tashkent on Wednesday, officials said.

The meeting was co-chaired by Dinesh Kumar, Joint Secretary in India’s Ministry of Defence and Lieutenant Colonel Sukhrobjon Sodikjonovich Sirojov, Ministry of Defence of Uzbekistan’s Head of the Central Department for International Military Cooperation.

Joint training and exercises, capacity building, defence education and setting up of defence industries, were among the topics of discussion, the Ministry of Defence said in an X post.

The joint training and exercises will involve specialised modules.

Stress will be on counter-terrorism operations and interoperability. These exercises will be held in both countries and allow participants to pick up best practices and strategies from each other.

As part of capacity building, ongoing educational programmes and technical assistance will be reviewed and upgraded as and where required.

The Indian delegation visited the University of Military Security and Defence in Tashkent as part of this initiative.

With India growing as a defence exporter, cooperation in the manufacturing sector was discussed.

With New Delhi laying stress on the setting up of new industries in the defence sector, talks were held on technology exchange and equipment maintenance.

The talks followed on the lines of the discussions held between India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov in New Delhi and further aligned bilateral security and critical resource partnerships.

India has longstanding and wide-ranging cooperation with Uzbekistan in the field of defence.

Bilateral defence cooperation is carried out through the Joint Working Group format, established in 2019.

India and Uzbekistan regularly participate in the joint military exercise called “DUSTLIK”.

The seventh edition was held from April 12 to 25, 2026, at the Gurumsaray Field Training Area at Namangan in Uzbekistan.

Contingents from the Mahar Regiment and Indian Air Force participated in the exercise.

The aim of the exercise was to improve joint operational skills, tactical coordination, and interoperability in semi-mountainous and semi-urban terrains.

Counter-terrorism operations, joint tactical drills, strike missions, and special operations to neutralise unlawful armed groups, were also practised during the exercise.

–IANS

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Guwahati/Aizawl, Aug 5 (IANS) Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Wednesday underscored the importance of maintaining peace and cordial relations with neighbouring Assam, saying both he and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma are committed to strengthening mutual trust, understanding and cooperation for the benefit of both states.

Addressing a gathering organised on the occasion of the Student Induction Programme of a private university in Guwahati, the Chief Minister began by expressing Mizoram’s deep sympathy with the people of Assam over the devastating floods that have recently affected the state.

Lalduhoma said the people of Mizoram stand in solidarity with those who have lost their lives, those who remain missing, and families who have been displaced or suffered immense hardship.

He noted that although Mizoram and Assam are separate states, they share a close and interdependent relationship as neighbouring states.

The two states depend on each other in many ways, pursue common developmental aspirations, and maintain strong people-to-people ties, the Chief Minister said, adding that a large number of Assamese reside in Mizoram, while many Mizos live, work and study in Assam.

He recalled attending the Rongali Bihu celebration organised by the Assam Culture Society of Mizoram in Aizawl in May 2024, where he had conveyed his wishes for the Assamese community to continue living peacefully in Mizoram.

Lalduhoma stressed that maintaining cordial relations and a peaceful atmosphere between the two neighbouring states is essential, adding that he and his Assam counterpart have consistently shared the view that strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation should remain a priority.

He encouraged students from Mizoram to uphold the rich values and traditions of the Zo people while striving for academic excellence.

The Chief Minister said that a university is far more than a place of learning; it is an institution where young people grow into responsible citizens, interact with people from diverse cultures, learn mutual respect, and develop the skills necessary to contribute meaningfully to society.

The Chief Minister observed that India’s greatest strength lies in its young population, describing the youth as the nation’s “powerhouse”. He urged students to acquire the latest knowledge and skills, cultivate a broad vision, and prepare themselves to contribute to the progress of both the nation and society.

–IANS

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Patna, Aug 5 (IANS) The 45th Battalion of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) at Birpur has achieved a major success in its ongoing campaign against smuggling and illegal activities along the India-Nepal border, officials said.

In two separate operations, SSB personnel seized 100 Baofeng walkie-talkies and portable wireless devices, a Scorpio vehicle, and Nepalese currency worth Rs 2.63 lakh in Bihar’s Supaul, an official said on Wednesday.

Two people were apprehended in connection with the cases.

According to SSB Commandant Gaurav Singh, personnel deployed at the Niyor Border Outpost in Supaul district intercepted a suspicious Scorpio vehicle travelling towards Nepal on Tuesday night.

The driver was identified as Devanand Mishra, a resident of Saptari in Nepal.

During a search of the vehicle, the SSB team recovered two cartons containing 50 Baofeng walkie-talkies and 50 portable wireless devices, making a total of 100 communication devices.

The team also recovered an invoice issued by Maheshwari Traders in New Delhi’s Chandni Chowk in the name of Mahavir Electronics at Kunauli.

During questioning, the driver allegedly disclosed that he had been promised Rs 1,000 for transporting the consignment to Nepal.

As the required permission from the Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing was reportedly unavailable, the SSB seized the communication equipment along with the Scorpio car.

The driver was subsequently handed over to the Dagmara Police Station for further legal action.

The recovery of such a large consignment of communication equipment has prompted heightened security concerns along the border.

Investigating agencies are examining how the devices reached the border area and whether they were being transported through courier channels under the guise of other goods.

A walkie-talkie had also reportedly been recovered from a smuggler on July 21.

In a separate operation, personnel from the Kataiya Border Outpost apprehended one Ravindra Yadav while he was entering India from Nepal.

A search of his belongings led to the recovery of Nepalese currency valued at Rs 2,63,000.

As Ravindra Yadav was unable to produce valid documents explaining the possession and transportation of the currency, the SSB seized the cash along with his bicycle.

The seized currency and bicycle were subsequently handed over to the Customs Office at Bhimnagar for further legal proceedings.

The two operations underline the SSB’s continued surveillance and enforcement efforts along the sensitive India-Nepal international border.

–IANS

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Hyderabad, Aug 5 (IANS) The second meeting of the BRICS Anti-Corruption Working Group and the BRICS Expert Network on Asset Recovery, which concluded here on Wednesday, reached an in-principle agreement on the proposed BRICS Network of Law-Enforcement Practitioners for Enhancing International Cooperation on Fugitive Offenders Sought for Corruption and Supporting Extradition.

During the two-day meeting, BRICS members made significant progress on the Indian Presidency’s proposal for a BRICS network.

Members held constructive discussions on the objectives, scope and operational modalities of the proposed network and reached an in-principle agreement on the initiative and decided to continue deliberations on establishing a dedicated practitioner-level platform, said an official release.

The initiative is expected to facilitate informal cooperation, support the tracing of fugitive offenders and complement existing formal mechanisms for extradition and international cooperation.

Members also welcomed the BRICS Repository on Informal Cooperation for Tracing Fugitive Offenders Sought for Corruption and Supporting Extradition. This would serve as a practical, practitioner-oriented resource bringing together information on national practices and existing channels of informal cooperation.

The second meeting of the BRICS Expert Network on Asset Recovery made substantive progress on practical deliverables aimed at strengthening direct cooperation among competent authorities. Members reached consensus on the standardised formats to facilitate timely practitioner-level information exchange during the preliminary stages of investigations while complementing formal mutual legal assistance mechanisms.

The Centre’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) successfully hosted the meetings in line with the theme of India’s BRICS Presidency, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.

Senior policymakers, experts, practitioners and representatives of anti-corruption, financial intelligence and law-enforcement agencies from BRICS member countries shared their views on various anti-corruption-related matters.

The meeting was inaugurated by Rachna Shah, the Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, who welcomed the delegations and highlighted India’s policy of zero tolerance against corruption.

She emphasised that integrity is fundamental to good governance, sustainable development and public trust, and underscored the importance of strong institutions, technology-driven governance, transparency, accountability and sustained international cooperation.

The Secretary observed that the BRICS Anti-Corruption Working Group was increasingly evolving from a platform for developing common understanding into a platform for practical action. She emphasised that effective international cooperation requires timely exchange of information, early engagement among competent authorities and trusted practitioner-level channels capable of complementing formal mutual legal assistance and extradition mechanisms.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day on Wednesday amid continuous noisy protests and disruptions by Opposition MPs demanding statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, a statement from the Home Minister on alleged police action against students, and accountability on Ram Temple donations.

The deadlock, however, did not prevent key legislative business from being transacted.

The Rajya Sabha cleared the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which raises the sanctioned strength of the apex court from 34 to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India.

The Bill, treated as a Money Bill, was returned to the Lok Sabha after consideration.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal underlined the need for a structural shift in the higher judiciary, citing the example of the Sabarimala case being heard by a nine-judge Bench, which leaves fewer judges available for other matters.

He said the increase would enable the Supreme Court to hear more cases simultaneously, improve the disposal rate, and make it easier for the Chief Justice of India to constitute Constitution Benches regularly.

Meghwal also referred to ongoing consultations on regional benches of the Supreme Court under Article 130 of the Constitution and reaffirmed the Union government’s commitment to the independence of the Judiciary.

He noted that after the earlier ordinance, one more woman judge had been appointed and expressed confidence that India would soon see a woman Chief Justice of India, in line with the government’s focus on Nari Shakti.

In the Lok Sabha, the Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill, 2026, was passed by voice vote without any discussion before the House was adjourned.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju urged Opposition MPs to allow the House to function and criticised the Congress, Communist party of India and the Samajwadi Party for politicising the alleged Ram Temple donations issue.

He also dismissed rumours of extending the Monsoon Session or convening a special session in mid-August.

Earlier on Wednesday, Opposition MPs led by Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi marched from Prerna Sthal to Makar Dwar pressing their demands.

Amid the stalemate, Rijiju held a 50-minute meeting with Rahul Gandhi inside the Parliament complex in an attempt to break the deadlock.

Congress MPs also met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to object to certain remarks made against party members.

In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan repeatedly appealed for order, reminding members that entering the well of the House and displaying placards are prohibited.

Despite the heated atmosphere, the passage of the two Bills marked limited progress on a day otherwise dominated by protests and adjournments.

–IANS

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Srinagar, Aug 5 (IANS) J&K Police on Wednesday announced a reward of Rs 15 lakh for information leading to the arrest of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist involved in the killing of a policeman on July 22 in Anantnag town.

Police have put up posters at prominent public places in the Valley seeking actionable information leading to the arrest of LeT terrorist Mohammad Lateef Bhat, who police said is involved in the killing of Head Constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi on July 22 in Anantnag market while he was deployed on Yatra duty.

The posters carry the photograph of the terrorist that was taken from CCTV grabs in the area when the terrorist was running away after killing the policeman.

Since the eruption of terrorist violence in 1989, so far 1,614 Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel have laid down their lives in the line of duty fighting terrorism.

This toll includes regular officers, lower-ranked constables, and several hundred Special Police Officers (SPOs).

Martyred policemen include ranks from low-rank constables and selection-grade constables to Inspectors, Deputy SPs, Superintendents, and DIG-level officers.

Around 515 SPOs have laid down their lives in the service of the nation while fighting terrorism.

Terrorists also killed two non-local brick kiln labourers in Kellam village of Kulgam district on July 31.

A hunt is also on to trace the killers of the two non-locals identified as Deepak and Bopinder, both of whom belonged to Chhattisgarh.

While Deepak died in the government medical college hospital in Anantnag on the same day the terrorist shot him, Bopinder was shifted in critical condition to the super speciality Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar.

Despite the best efforts of the doctors, Bopinder passed away in SKIMS Srinagar on August 1.

The killings of non-locals were widely condemned by religious, political and social groups across the board.

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah sanctioned ex gratia cash relief of Rs 15 lakh each for the next of kin of the two non-locals killed by the terrorists.

–IANS

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Kolkata, Aug 5 (IANS) A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday extended the interim stay on the demolition of the party office of Trinamool Congress General Secretary and the party’s Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, at Amtala in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district till August 21.

The tenure of the previous interim stay on the demolition of the said office was till August 6 and after a hearing in the matter on Wednesday, the single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh extended the stay till August 21.

The next date of hearing in the matter is scheduled on August 18.

The demolition of the Amtala office of Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, began last month on charges of construction without valid plans and documents.

A part of the office was also demolished using three bulldozers.

However, the Diamond Harbour MP approached the Calcutta High Court challenging the demolition.

After a couple of hearings in the matter at the Calcutta High Court, an interim stay was put on the demolition first till August 6, which has now been extended till August 21.

The South 24 Parganas district administration earlier summoned Abhishek Banerjee after several complaints were raised against his party office at Amtala for which a notice was issued.

The notice mentioned that the land on which the Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP’s office was built was purchased in the name of a corporate entity — Leaps and Bounds Private Limited, which is linked to the Banerjee family.

On not receiving any response to two consecutive notices, the district administration finally started demolition of the said office last month.

Challenging this decision of the administration, a case was filed in the High Court on behalf of the said corporate entity.

As the matter came up for hearing before Justice Ghosh’s bench on Wednesday, the state’s Advocate General, Surajit Nath Mitra, sought some time from the court for presenting a detailed argument in the matter.

Thereafter, Justice Ghosh fixed August 18 as the next date of hearing and also extended the interim stay on the demolition till August 21.

–IANS

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