DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2025, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 LABOUR-INTENSIVE SECTORS FEAR JOB LOSSES The Indian Express wishes its readers a Happy Ganesh Chaturthi We are closed today. There will be no edition of the newspaper on Thursday, August 28, 2025 Trump’s50%tariffskickintoday,export oftextiles,gemsandjewelleryworsthit Trade experts estimate merchandise exports could drop 40-45% in FY26 RAVI DUTTA MISHRA & SUKALP SHARMA NEW DELHI, AUGUST 26 27/08/2025 68 96 116 70 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY WITHTHEUSdecidingtoimplement the steep 50 per cent tariffs on merchandise from India starting Wednesday, exports of low-margin and labour-intensive goods ranging from apparel, textiles, gems and jewellery to shrimps, carpets and furniture, aresettobecomeunviableinthe American market, jeopardising low-skilled jobs in India. EXPRESS NETWORK INDIA, U.S. HOLD 2+2 TALKS AMID TARIFF TENSIONS PAGE 10 WithTrump’snewtariffskickingin,tradeexpertsestimatethat the value of India’s merchandise exportstotheUScoulddropbyas muchas40-45%in2025-26compared with the previous year. Think-tankGlobalTradeResearch Initiative (GTRI) estimates prod- uct exports to the US could fall to $49.6billionthisyearfromnearly $87 billion in 2024-25, as twothirds of exports by value to the US will be hit by 50 per cent tariffs, taking effective tariff rates to over 60 per cent in a few product categories. Around 30 per cent of exports to the US — valued at $27.6 billion in FY25 — will remain duty free as product categories like pharmaceuticals, electronics, and petroleum products havebeenexemptfromTrump’s tariffs,while4percentof theexports — mainly auto parts — will face a 25 per cent tariff rate. Meanwhile, competitors like GOODS SUBJECT TO 50% U.S. TARIFF ProductGroup ExportstoUS in2024-25 Textilesandapparel Diamonds,goldandjewellery Machineryandmechanicalappliances Agriculture,meatandprocessedfood Steel,aluminium,copper Organicchemicals Shrimps Handicrafts Carpets Leatherandfootwear Furniture,bedding,mattresses $10.9bn $10bn $6.7bn $6.0bn $4.7bn $2.7bn $2.4bn $1.6bn $1.2bn $1.2bn $1.1bn Source: Ministry of Commerce & Industry, GTRI analysis CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Don’t mean to leave out anyone when we say Hindu Rashtra: Bhagwat Govt looking into rare earth shortage, says PM Modi; calls for ‘swadeshi’ DEEPTIMAN TIWARY NEW DELHI, AUGUST 26 Non-bailable warrant issued against former R&AW officer MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, AUGUST 26 A DELHI court has issued a nonbailable warrant for Vikash Yadav, the ex-R&AW officer who was named by the US as a conspirator in an alleged plot to kill Khalistani separatist GurpatwantSinghPannun,andissueda notice to his surety. The court said Yadav had failed to appear before it in a case of alleged kidnapping and extortion despite repeated calls. In an order issued Monday, Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Partap Singh Laler of Patiala House Courts said Yadav wasabsentsincemorning.“Issue NBWs against accused Vikas Yadav and notice to his surety CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 PM Narendra Modi with Suzuki Motors president Toshihiro Suzuki (left), Maruti Suzuki India MD-CEO Hisashi Takeuchi and Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel in Hansalpur. ANI Having a different opinion not a crime: RSS chief at the event in New Delhi. ANI PM VISIT AUGUST 29-30 NEW DELHI, AUGUST 26 A DAY after the Supreme Court formed a special investigation team(SIT)headedbyaformertop court judge, Justice Jasti Chelameswar, to inquire into the affairsofVantara,thewildliferes- HANSALPUR(GUJARAT),AUG26 BAPPA ARRIVES! On India-Japan table: Security to economy, STUDY BY IISER energy to digital ties Mumbai wards ‘highly vulnerable’ to flooding Eye on US, up to 13 from 11 in 2005 China SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, AUGUST 26 AS PRIME Minister Narendra Modi heads to Japan on August 29-30,thetwosidesareexpected to upgrade the 2008 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation,launchaneconomic securityinitiativeonsemiconductors,ArtificialIntelligenceandcritical minerals, and increase the CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 E ● TIMED AHEAD of PM Modi's visit to China, India and Japan are expected to exchange notes on the US administration’s recent moves and the strategic outreach of China. SIT on Vantara holds meeting, discusses roles for members EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE SOUMYARENDRA BARIK & PARIMAL A DABHI A Ganpati idol is carried in a taxi in Mumbai on Tuesday, ahead of the 10-day Ganeshotsav from Wednesday. Akash Patil EXPLAINED NAMED BY U.S. IN PANNUN CASE THE RSS imagination of Hindu Rashtra was neither in opposition to anyone nor does it intend to leave out anyone, the organisation’s chief Mohan Bhagwat said Tuesday. The Sangh chief said having a different opinion was “not a crime” and that while there was constant communication between the RSS and its swayamsevaks, they “graduallybecomeindependent cue and rehabilitation centre of Reliance Foundation in Gujarat’s Jamnagar, the panel is learnt to have held its first meeting virtually on Tuesday. The first meeting is learnt to havefocusedontheresponsibilities of the SIT and the delegation of roles among its members. Thetopcourthasdirectedthe SIT to examine and submit a report by September 12 on a numberof issues,includingtheacquisition of animals from India and abroad, particularly elephants and compliance with the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and rules for zoos. It also has been asked to examine compliance CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NCLAT judge recuses, claims pressure from ‘member of higher judiciary’ PRATIP ACHARYA MUMBAI, AUGUST 26 ARECENTstudypublishedbythe Indian Institute of Science EducationandResearch(IISER)— a public research institute under the Government of India — revealed13ofMumbai’s24municipal wards are highly vulnerable toflood.Thisisupfrom11in2005. Thesezonesspanfromcoastalareas like Colaba and Marine Drive to dense suburban pockets like Govandi, Andheri, and Kandivali. As per the report, these 13 municipal wards house nearly 78.69 lakh people or 61 per cent of Mumbai’s total population of 1.29 crore people. These municipal wards cover almost half of the city’s landmass. In contrast, only 11 wards were designated as highly vulnerable in 2005. TheIISERstudyalsosolidified theBMC’s2021MumbaiClimate Justice Sharad Kumar Sharma EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Between August 16 and 19, Mumbai received 944 mm rainfall in 96 hours. File Action Plan (MCAP) report, which stated that 37 per cent of Mumbai's population resides in flood prone areas. Researchers andreportsattributethisheightened risk to climate change, loss of mangrove cover and current land-use patterns. Between 16 and 19 August, Mumbaiwasbroughttoitsknees CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 NEW DELHI, AUGUST 26 IN AN unprecedented order, a judicial member of the National CompanyLawAppellateTribunal (NCLAT)recusedfromacaseafter recording that “one of the most revered members of the higher judiciary of this country” had tried to influence the outcome. “Weareanguishedtoobserve thatoneof us,Member(Judicial), has been approached by one of themostreveredmembersofthe higher judiciary of this country forseekinganorderinfavourof a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ACKNOWLEDGING THE ongoing shortage of rare earth materials facedbyIndia’sautomobileindustry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday that the Government was working towards building national capacity in critical minerals and would soonlaunchexplorationmissions. “I am aware of the rare earth materials shortage, and we are trying to address it with the critical minerals mission. There will bemore than 1,200 explorations for critical minerals across vari- ouslocationsinIndia”Modisaid. The Prime Minister was speaking in Gujarat's Hansalpur where he green-flagged Maruti Suzuki’s first battery electric vehicle, eVitara, which will be manufactured here and exported to over 100 countries. During his speech, the Prime Ministeralsoexpandedonhisvision of “swadeshi”, saying that investment could be from any country, but the labour involved should be Indian. With top officials of Maruti and Suzuki, Japanese ambassador Keiicho Ono and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel among the audience, Modi said, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Maharashtra cabinet approves Rs 409-cr loan for sugar factory run by BJP’s Thopte EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, AUGUST 26 THEMAHARASHTRACabineton TuesdayapprovedaRs409-crore working capital loan for the RajgadCooperativeSugarFactory, located in Anantnagar Nigade in Punedistrict,whichis controlled by BJP leader and former Congress MLA Sangram Thopte. The cooperative had initially soughtRs499.15crore.Theloan,a marginmoneyfacility,isprovided by the National Cooperative DevelopmentCorporation(NCDC) with a state government guarantee. Of the sanctioned funds, Rs 327.25 crore will be used for modernisationandexpansionof the sugar project, including setting up a distillery, cogeneration unit, and bio-CBG project. A sum of Rs 67.23 crore is allocated for repayment of existing bank loans, while Rs 8.42 crore will cover machinery repair and maintenance. Disbursal of the loan is contingentuponobtainingapprovals CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘South Asia’s fastest ferry’ from Sept 1, to cut Mumbai-Sindhudurg travel to 5 hrs PAGE 1 ANCHOR VALLABH OZARKAR MUMBAI, AUGUST 26 KONKAN RESIDENTS heading home from Mumbai will soon have a faster and more comfortable travel option, with the Maharashtra government set to launch high-speed Ro-Ro ferry services connecting Mumbai with Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg from September 1. Announcing the decision on Tuesday, Ports and Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane called it a “festival gift” for Konkan residents during Ganeshotsav. Addressing a press conference at Mantralaya, Rane said the service will operate from Bhaucha Dhakka in Mumbai to JaigadinRatnagiriandVijaydurg in Sindhudurg, reducing the journey time to three hours and five hours respectively. The project, first conceptualised under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has now secured final clearance from the Union Shipping Ministry and the StatePortsDepartmentaftercompleting147requiredpermissions. The vessel, named M2M, is being promoted as South Asia’s fastest Ro-Ro ferry, capable of cruisingat25knots.Itisequipped with seating for 656 passengers in four categories — 552 in economy,44inpremiumeconomy,48 in business class and 12 in first class.Alongsidepassengers,itcan alsocarry50cars,30two-wheelers,bicyclesandminibuses,with provision for larger buses. Rane said that the service CRUISE AT 25 KNOTS Mumbai to Jaigad in Ratnagiri BY CRUISE BY ROAD 3 hours MUMBAI 10 hours Pune Mumbai to Vijaydurg in Sindhudurg BY CRUISE BY ROAD 5 hours 12 hours PASSENGER FARE JAIGAD Economy class wasreadiedearlierbutitslaunch was delayed due to rough weather and warnings issued to fishermen during the monsoon. “The moment the weather stabilises, the service will commence from September 1. It will ensure Konkan residents and `2,500 Premium economy Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane visits the Ro-Ro ferry in Mazgaon on Tuesday. Ganesh Shirsekar Satara `4,000 Business class `7,500 First class `9,000 Kolhapur VIJAYDURG FARE TO FERRY VEHICLES ■ Cars `6,000 ■ Bicycles ■ Two-wheelers `1,000 ■ Mini buses `600 `13,000 tourists alike have a safe, quick and reliable journey,” he said. To provide last-mile connectivity, buses will be arranged from the jetties to nearby towns. Thefarestructurehasbeenfinalised,witheconomyclasstickets priced at Rs 2,500, premium economy at Rs 4,000, business class at Rs 7,500 and first class at Rs 9,000 for the whole journey. VehicletariffswillbeRs6,000for cars, Rs 1,000 for two-wheelers, Rs600forbicyclesandRs13,000 for mini buses, with larger buses charged according to capacity. According to officials, the rates have been fixed keeping in mind both operational costs and affordabilityforpassengers,particularly during festive rush whentrainandroadticketprices often soar. Calling the service a “gamechanger”forcoastalconnectivity, Rane said the state government isalreadyworkingonexpanding routes to other Konkan destinations such as Shrivardhan and Mandwa. For this, new jetty infrastructure is being planned along the coast. “For years, Konkan residents have faced overcrowded trains and trafficclogged highways during Ganeshotsav and Holi. This RoRo ferry will provide a longawaited alternative that saves time and offers safety,” he said. Officials said Mumbai to Jaigad in Ratnagiri, which typically takes over 10 hours by road during peak festive traffic, will now be completed in three hours by sea. Similarly, Mumbai to Vijaydurg in Sindhudurg, which can stretch up to 12–14 hours by road, will take just five hours on the ferry. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10