MADURAI l saturday l december 06, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE CITY EDITION No extension of deadline for registration of waqf property assistance to those who didn’t register Rijiju said a way would be found for those who attempted registration but could not complete and that they will be exempted from penalties for the next three months. The minister stressed that those ‘mutawallis (Waqf property caretakers) who have not registered on the UMEED portal at all can approach their respective Waqf tribunal for further help Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday ruled out extending the deadline for registering Waqf properties on the UMEED portal ■ 1.51 lakh all about the umeed portal regulations ■ The Centre launched The Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Act central portal on June 6 to create a digital inventory after geo-tagging all Waqf properties As per the portal, details of all registered Waqf properties must be uploaded within six months— a deadline that ended on Friday waqf properties have been registered till date CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI big push RBI slashes repo rate by 25 bps to 5.25 per cent B E N N K O C H U VEED A N @ Mumbai The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday cut the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.25%, aiming to lend a lease of life to the economy amid global headwinds including steep US tariffs. This is the fourth rate cut since Governor Sanjay Malhotra took charge last December, bringing cumulative reductions to 125 basis points from 6.5%. The six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously voted for the rate cut and retained a neutral stance, which keeps room open for further cuts. The RBI also announced an additional liquidity boost of `1 lakh crore through two tranches of government bond purc h a s e s s ch e d u l e d for December 11 and 18, along Sanjay Malhotra with $5 billion in dollar-rupee buy-sell swaps later this month. These steps aim to ease seasonal liquidity pressures. A cut in repo will lead to lower borrowing costs for individuals as well as corporate houses because it reduces the interest banks pay to borrow from the RBI. With cheaper funding, banks can lower lending rates making home, auto, and business loans more affordable. Reiterating that the RBI has “no official level for the rupee”, Malhotra clarified that “the over 5% year-todate plunge of the currency is not a worry .” RBI’s inflation forecast for the fiscal year has been revised downwards to 2% from 2.6%, after it factored in imported inflation due to the depreciation of the rupee. Growth projections have been upgraded to 7.3% from 6.8%. train India-Russia Economic Roadmap 2030 launched; FTA talks to be fast-tracked India, Russia fast forward J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi INDIA and Russia on Friday unveiled an extensive plan to turbocharge their partnership, doubling down amid Western sanctions, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that peace in Ukraine must come through dialogue, adding India is on “the side of peace”. The new agreements and collaborations, spanning energy shipping, mobil, ity, minerals, pharmaceuticals, and health amount to one of the most ambitious upgrades to the India-Russia relationship in a decade. Both leaders used the summit to reaffirm the historical continuity of their partnership. “Over the past eight decades, the world has witnessed numerous ups and downs. Humanity has had to pass through many challenges and crises. And amidst all this, the India- Russia friendship has remained steadfast like a pole star. These relations, rooted in mutual respect and deep trust, have always stood the test of time,” Modi said. Central to the talks was the launch of the India-Russia Economic Roadmap 2030, a sweeping framework that aims to raise bilateral trade to $100 billion annually. The roadmap outlines plans to set up an Indian pharma manufacturing facility in Russia, initiate joint urea production in India, and create new training programmes for Indian seafarers. It also prioritises enhanced shipbuilding and shipping connectivity, including cooperation on the Northern Sea Route, deeper engagement on critical minerals and global supply-chain security e, visa access for Russian nationals, and the operationalisation of a full-fledged Indo-Russian Putin offers ‘uninterrupted shipments of fuel’ to India J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi amid US pressure to curb Russian oil imports, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday assured India of an “uninterrupted supply” of fuel. “Russia is a reliable supplier of energy resources and everything necessary for the development of India’s energy sector. We are ready to continue ensuring the uninterrupted supply of fuel for the rapidly growing Indian economy,” Putin said while speaking to the media alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the 23rd annual summit between the two countries. In his comments, Modi did not mention oil directly but highlighted that “energy security has been a strong and important pillar of the India-Russia partnership.” In a joint statement, the two leaders said that in the current complex, tense, and uncertain geopolitical situation, RussianIndian ties remain resilient to external pressure. The Russian leader’s visit comes amid US efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, with Washington criticising India’s oil imports from Russia. US President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on most Indian goods, and alleged that purchases of Russian oil were funding the war—a claim India has consistently denied. Putin also outlined steps to deepen cooperation, including using national currencies for bilateral payments and expanding energy collaboration. “Russia and India pursue independent foreign policies and work together in BRICS and SCO for a more just and democratic multipolar world order,” he said. 2026 FIFA World Cup draw coming to loc as survey gets over The Railways has completed the survey for the 46-km Baramulla– Uri rail link, in a significant step towards extending Kashmir’s rail connectivity upto the border town of Uri, close Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir | P8 Modi nudges Putin to end Ukraine war, says the conflict must end through dialogue, diplomacy mobility pact. Modi said the roadmap reflected their “common priority” to take the economic partnership to “new heights,” noting ongoing efforts to conclude a free trade pact between India and the Eurasian Economic Union. The Ukraine conflict featured prominently in the discussions. “India has advocated for peace on the Ukraine issue from the very beginning. We welcome all efforts being made for a peaceful and lasting resolution of this matter. India has always been ready to contribute its part and will remain so in the future,” Modi said. Putin responded that Moscow is working toward a peaceful settlement and remains in communication with the US on possible mechanisms, thanking Modi for India’s “attention and action.” 48 teams in total Agreement on labour mobility to help Indians work in Russia MoU on broader maritime cooperation Free e-tourist visa, group visa for Russians to visit India MoU between Indian fertilizer companies and JSC UralChem for joint production Food safety collaboration between Indian, Russian agencies MoU between Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Pune In a dramatic series of events, five Tamil Nadu police personnel, who were tracking a notorious fugitive, got stranded atop a 1,000-ft hillock in the Kadayam region of Tenkasi on Thursday night. The team — two head constables in their 40s and three armed reserve personnel in their 30s — was rescued after a 10-hour operation that ended on Friday morning. The accused, Balamurugan (30), a history-sheeter from Kadayam, is wanted in over 80 cases, including murder, robbery and dacoity registered in , TN and Kerala. Police sources said the TN police had sought permission from the Kerala police to produce him at the Aruppukkottai court for the crimes registered in the state. While being escorted back to the The fire and rescue team along with the police personnel rescued on Friday | express and Tomsk State University Agreement on cooperation between University of Mumbai, Lomonosov Moscow State University, and Russian Direct Investment Fund $100 bn India and Russia are looking to increase the volume of annual bilateral trade to $100 billion from the present $64 billion, according to the joint statement Even as the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Friday said it would hear all appeals in the Thiruparankundram Karthigai Deepam case on December 12, the issue triggered an acrimonious exchange between BJP and DMK members in the Lok Sabha. The ruckus began during the Zero Hour after senior DMK leader TR Baalu raised concerns over the verdict by the Madras High Court. The HC judge had allowed petitioners to light the lamp on a stone pillar, ‘Deepathoon’, on the Thiruparankundram hill against the century-old custom followed by Tamil Nadu’s HR&CE department. The state government had defied the December 1 order of Justice GR Swaminathan, apprehending commuBJP is trying to ‘ignite’ nal tensions in the state. The SC on Fricommunal day agreed to hear the state’s appeal tension in challenging the HC’s order. Tamil Nadu Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Baalu accused the BJP of trying to ‘igTR Baalu, nite’ communal tension in TN and DMK MP claimed that the judge belongs to a particular ideology “Who should light the . deepam on the hill? Whether the Hindu Religious Endowment Board representative or some miscreants who have got a judgment from a Madras HC judge?” he asked. Taking exception to Baalu’s reference to the judge’s ideology Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju , said the DMK leader cannot cast aspersions on the judiciary and urged the chair to expunge the remarks. “In the history of our Parliamentary democracy we have upheld the discipline of avoiding dispar, aging remarks,” said Rijiju.  P5 2 8 32 DGCA blinks, withdraws weekly rest rule for pilots amid IndiGo outage Spain, Argentina, France, England will not face each other if they top the group until semis After 10 hrs, 5 cops stranded in rain on hill rescued @ Tirunelveli P r e e tha N a i r @ New Delhi RAFT OF PACTS TO BOLSTER INDIA-RUSSIA RELATIONS hunt for history-sheeter EXPRESS N EWS SERVI C E DMK faces off with BJP in LS on Deepam row - Vladimir Putin, Russian president Top 4 teams Date: June 11 to July 19 | -- Narendra Modi, Prime Minister If the US has the right to buy our (nuclear) fuel, why shouldn’t India have the same privilege? 3rd teams in Top two place singlefinsishers finishers of eliminwill ation qualify to 12 groups KO round too will knockout advance round US Prez Donald Trump and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino at the Kennedy Center | AP I have always said that India is not neutral; India has a side and that side is peace Thrissur prison a month ago, he allegedly assaulted three TN personnel and escaped. He has evaded the police of both states ever since. On Thursday police received , a tip that Balamurugan had returned to Kadayam and was meeting his wife, Josvina, as part of a plan for them to escape together. The couple moved towards a hillock along the Kadayam-Ramanathi dam stretch, climbing to a height of nearly 1,000 ft.  P5 s l a l i tha @ New Delhi WITH over 1,000 IndiGo flights cancelled on Thursday and all 235 domestic departures from Delhi grounded for 24 hours, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday announced immediate suspension of aviation regulator DGCA’s revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms to ease crew shortages that resulted in the crisis. Naidu assured that IndiGo services would be fully restored within three days, with schedules stabilising by Saturday. However, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers contradicted the timeline, stating in a video message that normalcy would return only by December 10–15. The airline had earlier informed DGCA that a complete recovery of flying schedules could take until February 1, 2026. After an emergency review meeting with ministry DGCA, , AAI and IndiGo officials, Naidu announced a high-level inquiry into the flight disruption. A four-member DGCA panel comprising Sanjay K Brahmane, DGCA Joint Director General, Amit Gupta, Deputy Director Passengers question flight delays and Bengaluru airport on Friday | express General, Kapil Manglik, Senior Flight Operating Inspector (SFOI) and Lokesh Rampal, FOI, has been asked to submit its report within two weeks. The aviaition regulator accused IndiGo of “deficiencies in internal oversight, operational preparedness and compliance planning” despite repeated warnings to prepare for the new rostering rules. On Friday too, chaos gripped airports nationwide as irate passengers protested at Delhi’s IGIA terminals. Similar scenes unfolded in Bengaluru (100+ cancellations) and Hyderabad (90+). Chennai suspended IndiGo’s domestic operations on Friday . DGCA clears temporary flight inspectors In a rare move, DGCA has temporarily cleared 24 of its own Flight Operations Inspectors – all A320 type-rated with current licences – to return to active flying duties with IndiGo for one week to ease the pilot shortage Airlines chip in with extra flights Spicejet plans to operate 100 additional flights on routes linking Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Air India will also operate extra flights on these sectors on Dec 6.