DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA BY UNNY REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2025, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES BUSINESS AS USUAL ● `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 WHAT THE POLL PANEL DIDN’T SAY InBihar2003,ECtooklonger,allowed EPIC,checkedcitizenshipselectively In SC, poll panel defends 2003 cut-off but overlooks key contrasts with ongoing revision of rolls RITIKA CHOPRA NEW DELHI, AUGUST 21 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, AUGUST 21 FOUR WORKERS died and two others were critically injured after inhaling nitrogen gas that leaked from a reaction tank at a pharmaceutical company in Boisar of Palghar district on Thursday afternoon. Accordingtoofficials,theleak took place at Medley Pharma in the Tarapur MIDC, about 130 km from Mumbai around 2.30 pm, when a nitrogen reaction tank malfunctionedduringoperations. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DEFENDING THE ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) not only held up the 2002–03 roll as the benchmark of voter eligibility, but strongly backeditsthree-monthtimeline, and refused to accept the Supreme Court's suggestion to consider the voter ID card as proof of eligibility. However, the Commission’s instructions during that 98 119 70 COUNTINBIHAR verificationofexistingvotersthen. In effect, with these criteria and not where one of 11 docu- AANCHAL MAGAZINE & LIZ MATHEW NEW DELHI, AUGUST 21 70 NOT Citing US embassy, Govt GoM backs Centre’s plan confirms: No $21-million for GST rationalisation, USAID poll grant in India states flag revenue loss JAY MAZOOMDAAR 22/08/2025 WHAT WILL ments are required, the process for those who got on the 2003 list — about 4.96 crore — was, in bothletterandspirit,muchmore inclusive. An email sent to the Election Commissionforitscommentdid not elicit a response. These differences lie at the heartof thepetitionsnowbefore theSupremeCourt.Thepetitionersarguedthatthethree-month window (June 25–September 30, 2025) is unreasonably short in a state headed for polls in October–November, where many voters struggle to procure documents. They also con- CONTRARY TO the claim made by the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and President Donald Trump, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) did not provide funding of $21millionfor“voterturnout” in India, the Ministry of External Affairs told Rajya Sabha Thursday, citing communications with the US embassy. On February 21, The Indian NEW DELHI, AUGUST 21 The Indian Express report on February 21 Express reported that the $21million aid for “voter turnout” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE GROUP of Ministers on Rate Rationalisation gave its inprinciple support Thursday to theCentre’sproposaltooverhaul theGoodsandServicesTax(GST) design, even as member states raised concerns about potential revenue loss on account of the rate rationalisation. Six days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E EXPLAINED 4 workers dead after nitrogen gas leak in Palghar pharma unit 2002–03intensiverevisionpaint a different picture, according to former ECI officials and Chief Electoral Officers who oversaw the last exercise. Consider the following: ■ In 2002-03, seven states — Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Punjab — had eight months, more than double the time allowed now, to complete the process. ■Noproof of citizenshipwas sought then from existing electors in 2002 rolls. ■The Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC) was the backbone of ● Why the need GST WAS introduced in July 2017. But it is riddled with a multiplicity of rates. According to the Finance Ministry, the end of compensation cess has created fiscal space, providing greater flexibility to rationalise and align tax rates within the GST framework. tended that the ECI is straying into questions of nationality, which is beyond its mandate. The Court will resume hearing the matter on Friday. Threeaspectsof the2002–03 exercise which sit uneasily with theCommission’sdefenceof the Bihar SIR: ■ Compressed Timeline: In its counter affidavit before the Supreme Court, the ECI dismissed concerns over timelines as“misconceived,erroneousand unsustainable,” and said its orderprovides“adequatetime”for completion. “The last such CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NETWORK KERALA YOUTH CONG CHIEF RESIGNS OVER ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT PAGE 14 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also seen. ANI US told us to stabilise energy market, buy Russia oil: Jaishankar SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, AUGUST 21 TAKING A swipe at the Trump administration from Moscow, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Thursday he was “very perplexed” by the additional 25 per cent US tariff on India over energy imports from Russia because “it was the Americans” who said “we should do everything to stabilise the world’s energy markets, in- cluding buying oil from Russia”. Seated next to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow where he later met President Vladimir Putin, Jaishankar said, “We are not the biggestpurchasersof Russianoil. That is China. We are not the biggest purchasers of Russian LNG, I am not sure, but I think that is the European Union. We are not the country which has the biggest trade surge with Russia after 2022, I think there CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Oppose US tariff on India, silence emboldens the bully: China envoy SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, AUGUST 21 REFERRING TO the US as a “bully” which is “using tariffs as a bargaining chip to demand exorbitant prices from various countries”, Xu Feihong, Beijing’s Chinese envoy Xu Feihong on Thursday. Express ambassador to Delhi, said Thursday that China “firmly opposes”theUSdecisiontoimpose 50 per cent tariff on India and “will firmly stand with India to uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2