NEW DELHI: The debate over the quality of India’s national income accounts is “ill-informed” as the ‘C’ rating assigned by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reflects the use of the 2011-12 base year for GDP estimation rather than any broader data deficiencies, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday. A new base year will be adopted from February 27, 2026, she added. Responding to the Lok Sabha debate on the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the minister said the IMF has recognized India’s macroeconomic stability and resilience and has forecast 6.6% economic growth for 2025-2026. IMF has not questioned India’s growth figures, Sitharaman said, adding that there is “no misleading data”. Her comments came after the opposition Congress party flagged the IMF’s data adequacy assessment of India’s national accounts following the release of the 8.2% gross domestic product (GDP) growth figure for the second quarter. The IMF’s assessment was part of the annual country report released on 26 November. The report noted that despite external headwinds, India’s growth is expected to remain strong, supported by favorable domestic conditions. “Under the baseline assumption of extended 50% US rates, real GDP is projected to grow at 6.6% in FY2025/26 before moderating to 6.2% in FY2026/27,” the IMF said. Sitharaman clarified the IMF’s assessment after Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule raised the issue during the debate. The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025. “The debate was very ill-informed. Most of the IMF’s report focuses on India’s overall healthy economic performance,” the minister said. She explained that the IMF classifies data adequacy as A, B, C or D. A indicates that data are sufficient for surveillance; B reflects some shortcomings but generally adequate; C means deficiencies may somewhat impede oversight—the assessment given to India’s national accounts—and D indicates serious deficiencies. The IMF report also recognizes growth in private consumption, macroeconomic stability and the resilience of the Indian economy as key drivers for growth, Sitharaman said. It also noted that “inflation is well below the RBI’s tolerance band of 2-6% and is expected to be 4.3% for this year,” Sitharaman said. “The C rating was based on an outdated base year, which is 2011-12. But the Government of India is now changing it and from next year we will have 2022-23 as the base year. From February 27, 2026, it will come into effect,” the minister said. On that date, the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation will release the second estimates of GDP for FY26 and the quarterly GDP estimates for the December quarter of FY26. On November 28, opposition leader Jairam Ramesh said in a social media post, “It is ironic that the quarterly GDP figures were released very soon after an IMF report gave India’s national accounts statistics the second lowest grade of C in its annual assessment of the Indian economy.” Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 Sitharaman said the excise duty to be levied on tobacco and tobacco products under the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 will flow into the Centre’s divisible pool of taxes, which is shared with states. She noted that the Center reduced excise duty on tobacco at the time of the GST rollout in 2017 to facilitate the levy of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation, the proceeds of which were used to offset states’ revenue losses in the initial years of GST. The compensation money was to be collected for five years until 2022, but its collection continued because the GST Council extended it until the funds borrowed to compensate states during the pandemic were repaid, she said. The Center has ceded certain excise rights to the GST Board for the introduction of the compensation rebate, and now that the excise duty is being discontinued, the excise duty is being transferred back to the Centre, the minister explained. “It is not a new law; it is not an additional tax; it is not something that the Center takes away… It comes back to the Centre, to be collected as excise duty, which goes to the divisible pool. It is going to be redistributed again,” the minister said, adding that 41% of the Centre’s divisible pool of tax revenue goes to the states under the Finance Commission. She explained that it is not a cess but excise duty. “Obviously, we don’t want cigarettes to be affordable,” Sitharaman said, adding that price or tax should act as a deterrent to tobacco use. Tax incidence on cigarettes is about 53% of the retail price in India, lower than in countries like the UK and Australia, she noted. NCP MP Supriya Sule urged the government to address the problem of surrogate advertising by tobacco manufacturers. Some parliamentarians said tougher measures such as bans on tobacco use were needed, while others warned that higher excise duties would hurt tobacco farmers. Sitharaman said tobacco farmers should be gradually shifted to alternative crops. Such efforts were made earlier and continue under the current government, she said, in response to concerns that excise duty hikes would affect farmers involved in tobacco cultivation and bidi rolling. Abdul Rashid Sheikh, an independent MP from Jammu and Kashmir, said high taxes do not effectively curb substance abuse and argued that only a total ban works. He also urged the government to “make India free from addictions.” “What will happen to tobacco farmers in Maharashtra? Excise duty will hit the procurement price of people involved in bidi roll. Their income will be affected as demand falls. Does the government want to generate revenue by taking from farmers’ pockets? Tobacco and bidi are mostly consumed by the poor and the less educated people in Mahbaarpu Patil. “If you really care about public health, ban it,” said Patil.

Jakarta – Former junior clerk who replaces the North Jakarta District Court, Wahyu Gunawan, has been sentenced to 11.5 years in prison. The judge found Wahyu guilty of accepting bribes in connection with the acquittal in the cooking oil (migor) case. “The Accused was sentenced to imprisonment for 11 years and 6 months, and a fine of Rp. 500 million with the stipulation that if the fine is not paid, it will be replaced with imprisonment for 6 months,” Chief Justice Effendi said when he read out the verdict at the Central Jakarta Corruption Court, Wednesday evening (3/12/2025). Scroll TO CONTINUE CONTENT The judge also sentenced Wahyu to pay compensation of IDR 2,365,300,000. If Wahyu’s assets are insufficient to pay the replacement money, he will be sentenced to 4 years in prison. “In the event that the convict does not have sufficient assets to pay replacement money, he will be punished with imprisonment for 4 years,” said the judge. The judge found Wahyu guilty of violating Article 6 paragraph 2 together with Article 18 of the Corruption Act in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph 1 of the Penal Code. Wahyu Gunawan was previously sentenced to 12 years in prison, a fine of Rp. 500 million, subsidiary up to 6 months in prison, and compensation of Rp. 2.4 billion, subsidiary up to 6 years in prison. Indictment For your information, the panel of judges that delivered the acquittal to the accused migrant corporation was led by Judge Djuyamto with members Agam Syarief Baharudin and Ali Muhtarom. Prosecutors accused Djuyamto, Agam and Ali of jointly accepting bribes and gratuities in connection with the acquittal. Prosecutors said the total bribe received is believed to be IDR 40 billion. The bribes were allegedly given by Ariyanto, Marcella Santoso, Junaedi Saibih and M Syafei as lawyers for the accused migrant corporations. The bribe of IDR 40 billion was shared between Djuyamto, Agam, Ali, former Deputy Chairman of the Central Jakarta District Court, Muhammad Arif Nuryanta, and the former junior civil clerk of the North Jakarta District Court, Wahyu Gunawan. In the prosecutor’s indictment, of the total bribe of IDR 40 billion, Arif was accused of receiving part of IDR 15.7 billion, Wahyu received IDR 2.4 billion, Djuyamto received part of IDR 9.5 billion, and Agam and Ali each received IDR 6.2 billion. (mib/haf)

Jakarta – A video showing residents of North Tapanuli (Taput) searching for rice mixed with soil because the packaging broke after being dropped from a helicopter has gone viral. Taput Regent Jonius Taripar Parsaoran (JTP) Hutabarat apologized for the incident. “I am the regent of North Tapanuli with the pilot. First of all, we apologize to all the people of North Tapanuli, especially the people in Manalu Purba Village, to be precise in Hajorang,” JTP Hutabarat said in the video seen, reported by detikSumut, Wednesday (3/12/2025). Scroll TO CONTINUE CONTENT The incident occurred when JTP Hutabarat was providing assistance in Manalu Purba Village, Parmonangan District. At that time, JTP Hutabarat distributed aid to areas that could not be reached via land routes. He said the helicopter was initially planned to land in a primary school field. “However, there was one incident, namely in Hajorang, that we provided assistance after going around, we wanted to land. I planned to go down to greet the people, I saw there is a school that has a field so we have a target to land there, I invited the pilot to land at the school, then the pilot looked for it to land,” he said. However, when it was 10-15 meters above the ground, it was said that there were electric cables in the field. JTP and his entourage then proceeded to drop 10 5 kilogram bags of rice from that height fearing that the residents would be disappointed. JTP Hutabarat then heard a resident said the tool was damaged because it was dropped. The helicopter then rose and searched the runway around the location. Read more here. (fas/haf)

Jakarta – The government has prepared rehabilitation and reconstruction after the emergency response phase for the disaster in Sumatra. The rehabilitation period is aimed to be completed within 100 days. “The management phase for the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase has also been coordinated. The lead agency for the current emergency response phase remains BNPB, the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase has begun to be prepared. The target is within 100 days and within one year the public can monitor the achievements in a measurable way,” said Pratikno, Wednesday during a press conference at Halim Per Basdana, Jakarta, Jakarta. (3/12/2025). SCROLL TO CONTINUE CONTENT Pratikno confirmed that the government’s current focus is the process of evacuating and rescuing victims. Not only the distribution of aid, but also the rebuilding of the lives of residents affected by disasters. “The government’s focus is not only on the distribution of logistical aid such as rice and instant noodles, but to ensure that all citizens have hope to rebuild their lives,” he said. Furthermore, Pratikno apologized if the handling of disasters still has shortcomings. According to President Prabowo Subianto’s instructions, the government will do everything possible to deal with disasters. “We also apologize if there are still shortcomings in efforts to deal with floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra,” he said. “But the instructions of the President are very clear, we must mobilize all resources of the central government, all ministries, institutions, TNI, Polri, BNPB so that every hour every minute there is improvement in acceleration and increased response to community needs,” he continued. (eva/deck)

Jakarta – A woman named Hilda admitted that she was a victim of fraud in the form of a police record certificate (SKCK). The victim admitted that he received an offer to make SKCK online via the social media Facebook. According to information from the Serang Police, Hilda initially intended to create a SKCK to look for work at a company. He received information from his colleague that there is a Facebook account that SKCK can create online. This account offers SKCK documents in the form of PDF files at a rate of IDR 100 thousand. Hilda also ordered and received a copy of the SKCK. PAGE TO CONTINUE CONTENT During the job application process, the company asked Hilda to print her SKCK. He then went to the Serang Police to print the SKCK ordered from the Facebook account. “After the SKCK duty officers of the Serang Police checked, the documents Hilda brought were declared not registered in the system. The officers confirmed that the SKCK did not comply with procedures and was categorized as a fake document,” Serang Police Head of Intelligence and Security, Inspector Saeful Sani, said in his statement on Wednesday (3/12/2020). Several irregularities in the fake SKCK include the registration number not appearing in the system, the signatory of the document not being an authorized official, and the letterhead using the Serang City police address. “In fact, the official SKCK published online must be signed by the National Police Baintelkam officer, not the police officer,” he said. Hilda admitted that she did not know that her SKCK was fake. The police officer then issued an official SKCK for Hilda. Serang police chief AKBP Condro Sasongko asked the public to be aware of SKCK providing services via social media. According to him, SKCK can only be made through an official mechanism established by the National Police. “I appeal to all people, especially job seekers, not to be tempted by SKCK offering services via social media. Official SKCKs are only processed by applications issued by the National Police, not by individuals or certain accounts,” said Condro. The public can easily apply for SKCK through the official National Police application, namely SuperApp, which is integrated with police service systems throughout Indonesia. “Use the SuperApp Polri app as the only official access. Don’t become a victim of fraud like the case that just happened,” he added. (aik/fas)

Jakarta – A resident of Pahlawan neighborhood, Kualasimpang, Aceh Tamiang, Aceh, named Asih, was happy to see a number of food aid for victims affected by the Sumatran floods being unloaded from a black minibus. The food assistance consists of rice, instant noodles, mineral water and biscuits. This black car was the car of the deputy chief of police, Komjen Dedi Prasetyo, who checked the condition of the residents of Aceh Tamiang, checked the distribution of aid and collected data about the needs of victims affected by the flood disaster in Aceh Tamiang. Based on detikcom monitoring at the location, Wednesday (3/12/2025), Asih and a number of residents approached Komjen Dedi who was accompanied by the regent of Aceh Tamiang Armia Fahmi. The regent invited his citizens to shake hands with Komjen Dedi. SCROLL TO CONTINUE “Sir, thank you very much. Thank you, sir. If possible, send more here (help),” Asih said. Komjen Dedi then told Asih that the regent of Armia had informed him of any urgent needs. “Yes, the Regent has already told you what your needs are, Mother and Father,” he replied. Deputy Chief of Police, Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo, provides aid to flood victims in Aceh Tamiang. (Audrey/detikcom) On the same occasion, the Regent of Armia said that this aid would be handed over to the hamlet head so that it would be distributed equally to the residents. After visiting the Regent’s Hall complex, Komjen Dedi checked the aid post. Afterwards, the deputy chief of police and his entourage left Aceh Tamiang to continue their journey to the disaster-stricken area in West Sumatra (Sumbar). (audi/deck)

Jakarta – Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, believes that the Government is carefully considering determining the status of a national disaster for floods and landslides in the Aceh and Sumatra regions. He said the DPR and the government continued to receive input on developments in this disaster. In addition, Puan said that President Prabowo Subianto visited the disaster site directly. According to him, the Government obviously knows very well the decisions that will be taken regarding the determination of national disaster status for the affected areas, namely Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra. Puan expressed this today while at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta. Scroll to continue content “The government and DPR have obviously both listened to input from various parties, especially input from affected regional governments. Is there a need to immediately declare a national disaster? The President even immediately inspected the affected areas,” Puan said in a written statement, Wednesday (3/12/2025). “However, in order to be able to decide on this matter immediately, the government must of course take careful consideration and we are also following all input regarding this matter,” he continued. It is known that on Monday (1/12) President Prabowo Subianto directly inspected the areas affected by floods and landslides in North Sumatra, Aceh and West Sumatra. The President directly inspected evacuation posts, locations of damaged infrastructure and spoke with thousands of affected residents to ensure emergency response was swift and on target. During a review of a number of disaster areas, President Prabowo ordered the acceleration of the distribution of logistical aid, the restoration of access to isolated areas, as well as the construction of emergency access at damaged key infrastructure locations. The government has also deployed air and sea navies to reach difficult areas. In his statement to the media team after inspecting the refugee post in Padang Pariaman, President Prabowo relayed the latest developments on field conditions which he said showed significant improvement. Apart from West Sumatra, the president also visited other affected areas in Aceh and North Sumatra. During each visit, the Head of State ensures the distribution of logistical assistance, health services and air transport support to areas that cannot yet be fully reached per country. Regarding the condition of a number of areas that are still isolated, President Prabowo emphasized that air access is still the main step to reach people in these affected points. Most recently, flood conditions in Serdang Bedagai (Sergai) Regency, North Sumatra, are now said to be showing recovery. Chief Executive (Kalak) of the Sergai Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Abdul Rahman Purba, explained on Wednesday (3/12) that based on a quick assessment in the field of conditions after the flood disaster that hit 11 sub-districts, the water in nine sub-districts had receded and the situation was gradually recovering. On this, Puan said that the DPR will continue to monitor all the latest developments in the situation in disaster areas. He said that the DPR will continue to communicate with the government to then decide on the best steps in dealing with disasters in the 3 provinces. “So, God willing, between the government and the DPR, we will always communicate to work together to find the best way to quickly resolve this disaster,” concluded Puan. (acn/ega)

Updated: Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:41 (IST) Bharat Taxi is a new initiative launched by the Ministry of Cooperation, which aims to revolutionize taxi services in Delhi-NCR. This will free the taxi owners from arbitrary commission and passengers will be freed from arbitrary fares. Nemish Hemant, New Delhi. There are often disputes between the driver and passengers about the management of the air flow of the cabin. Drivers are found to complain that the aggregator companies charge them so much commission that they cannot even cover the expenses of their taxis. Therefore, we save expenses by not running the air conditioning of the cabin. Remove advertisement Read news only At the same time, passengers claim that app-based taxi companies charge them arbitrary fares during peak hours. Both passengers and taxi owners will be relieved of all these complaints. “Bharat Taxi”, started under the guidance of the Ministry of Cooperation of the Central Government, is going to bring a revolutionary change in the transportation of passengers in Delhi-NCR. In this, taxi owners will be freed from arbitrary commission and passengers will be freed from arbitrary fares. In this app-based taxi, cab, car and bike service operated on Sahakar model, vehicle owners will also become shareholders of the company. In addition, they will get the benefit of life and health insurance. The pilot project of this service started in Delhi, which is appreciated by all. In this regard, representatives of Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited (STCL) are meeting taxi operators as well as taxi and auto driver organizations and are in the process of connecting the drivers. Rent-related practicalities and other demands are understood. An STCL official said that their service is currently limited, it is in the experimental phase, but with its formal launch by the new year, revolutionary changes are expected in Delhi-NCR. In this, the company will retain so much profit that it can continue its operations. The remaining benefit will be given to the drivers, while the tariff will remain practical. The number of cars in Delhi is more than one lakh, while more than 30 thousand black and yellow taxis and more than 60 thousand cabs are operating. Similarly, 15 to 20 thousand cycle taxis operate on the roads of Delhi. Various app-based taxi aggregator companies in Delhi charge 10 to 30 percent commission of the total fare per ride from the taxi owners. During peak times, passengers are also charged up to three times the fare. At the same time, STCL will charge the drivers Rs 30 for the whole day without GST or Rs 6.5 per ride. Likewise, their maximum fare is suggested to be one and a half to two times during peak times. By the way, study regarding tariff is ongoing. STCL official said that the taxi fare is currently being determined on an experimental basis and the response of drivers and passengers is being seen. The rate will be determined on that basis. Bharat taxi service is currently implemented in Gujarat and Delhi. The process of adding managers is currently underway in Gujarat. While service also started in Delhi. However, due to very few taxis and cars being registered, the service is not smooth. There will be 34 prepaid stands, Bharat Taxi will be upgraded. There are a total of 34 prepaid taxi and auto booths at major locations including airport, railway station and bus stands in Delhi. Bharat Taxi has the responsibility of their operation. In such a situation, the work to upgrade it started. The airport stand has started appearing in a new color. According to STCL, the booth will be monitored by CCTV. So that there is no arbitrariness with the passengers. When app-based taxi aggregator companies came, they added taxi drivers without any commission. Now their commission has reached 30 percent of the total fare, causing serious financial crisis for the drivers. In such a situation, Bharat Taxi is definitely a revolutionary initiative. In this, the drivers will not only get financial freedom, but they will also be shareholders of the company. – Sumit Bhardwaj, President, Expert Manager Solution Indian Manager Sena It’s a better system. Talks are ongoing about joining. There is a discussion going on about the feasibility of tariffs and the ban on the transportation of passenger vehicles from other states in Delhi, along with other issues of concern to the drivers. Soon we will come to the final decision. – Rajendra Soni, President, Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union and Delhi Auto Rickshaw Association (BMS)

Updated: Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:39 PM (IST) In a tragic incident in Raisen near Bhopal, a 22-year-old youth died after falling from a 50 feet high bridge while doing a pulley. This accident is Jaipur-Jabalpur National… Read more Young man fell from bridge while making a reel (symbolic picture) Digital Desk, Bhopal. In Raisen, next to the capital Bhopal, the hobby of making scrolls on social media took the life of a young man. While shooting a reel from a mobile phone on the 50 feet high bridge constructed between Chilli-Silari and Noornagar village on Jaipur-Jabalpur National Highway 45, the young man suddenly lost his balance and fell down. Remove advertisement Read news only Due to a fall from a height, his spinal cord was broken and he suffered a serious head injury, due to which he became unconscious. His companions took him in a blood-soaked state to the hospital in Udaipur, where doctors declared him brought dead after examination. The deceased has been identified as 22-year-old Madan Nooriya. The incident of falling was captured in the mobile phone. Police investigation revealed that the young man was making a reel on the mobile phone at the time of the accident. According to officials, a clip was also found in his phone that captured the scene of his fall from the bridge. Also Read – Raisen rape case accused sent to jail, three helpers also arrested in Bhopal, girl discharged from hospital. The incident took place on Tuesday evening on a bridge located on NH-45, about 110 kilometers away from the district headquarters. According to the police, Madan was busy making photos and videos and posting them on social media at sunset, when this tragic accident happened.

‘Goldie Brar picked up Lawrence’s slippers…’, who made this claim; Audio Goes Viral Updated: Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:39 (IST) In an audio viral on social media, a person named Hari Boxer claimed that Goldie Brar had earlier picked up Lawrence Bishnoi’s slippers. In the audio, Goldie…read more Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldie Brar were once good friends. Now there is talk of conflict. Jagran Correspondent, Chandigarh. After the killing of Inderpreet Singh alias Perry by firing bullets in the timber market of Sector-26, a gang war of words started on the internet media. After Canada based gangster Goldie Brar, now an audio clip of Lawrence Bishnoi gang gangster Hari Boxer has gone viral. Remove ads Just read the news In this audio he talks a lot against Goldie Brar. He said that this Goldie Brar, who is becoming a rogue today, used to pick up Lawrence Bhai’s slippers. The whole world knows that Goldie Brar drove a truck at one point, Lawrence had a hand in getting it to this point. He also threatened that he would be next. In the alleged audio clip of Hari Boxer, it is said that Goldie Brar could not take revenge on her brother Gurlal Brar. He said that we will terminate you now as well. You started the fight, now we’ll show it to you. What is the punishment for treason? The next number is yours, when your name came up in the Amritsar murder, your fever did not subside for four days. You teach us friendship and betrayal. I work hand in hand with the murderers who killed your brother. You cannot be related to your brother, how can you be related to anyone else. Sippe was attacked from behind in Dubai, result will be available soon. In the audio clip, there was also talk of taking revenge for the murder of gangster Sippe in Dubai. It has been said that this Dubai misunderstanding will also be cleared soon and what you call murder is not murder. You took that guy out in the name of his birthday. He killed him by deceptively attacking him from behind. Now we will give you results soon. If we have the courage, let us fight. Then you will know what your status is.