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Current Events :
New passport rules will kick in from July 1, with the government set to charge more for various categories of passport applications.
A special discount of 10 per cent will be available to children below nine years of age and elders above 60 years on fresh applications.
Other segments of passports will cost more.
Here is how the fee will change and the percentage rise in cost of filing for new passports under various major categories:
Fresh 36-page passport for people age 18 years and above: Passport application fees in normal route will be Rs 2,500 from July 1 instead Rs 1,500. This represents a 67 per cent rise. Tatkal category passport under this segment will cost Rs 5,000 as against Rs 3,500 (43 per cent rise) at present.
A 60-page passport under the normal route passport will cost Rs 3,500 as against Rs 2,000 (75 per cent rise) currently. Tatkal category passport will cost Rs 6,000 as against Rs 4,000 (50 per cent) at present.
For applications in the lost or damaged category, a 36-page passport in normal route will cost Rs 5,000 instead of Rs 3,000 (67 per centrise) at present. Tatkal category passport will cost Rs 7,500 as against Rs 5,000 (50 per cent) at present.
For applications in the lost or damaged category, a 60-page normal route passport application will cost Rs 6,000 as against Rs 3,500 today and Tatkal category will be Rs 8,500 instead of Rs 5,500 today.
The revised fee structure will come into effect from July 1.
The driver’s side door left open as a car plunged into the Bhakra Canal in Patiala’s Passiana helped the police crack the murder case of Ramandeep Kaur (30), leading to the arrest of an Army sepoy. Ramandeep drowned after being trapped inside the vehicle, while her husband, Happy Singh (29), swam to safety.
The police registered a murder case against Happy, currently posted in Assam, after evidence suggested he intentionally drove into the canal. The couple had married in 2024 after a long inter-caste love affair, but were reportedly facing disputes.
Samana DSP Fateh Singh Brar said Happy initially claimed he lost balance while driving, and no foul play was suspected. Divers were deployed to recover the car and Ramandeep’s body. However, when the vehicle was retrieved, investigators found the driver’s door was not shut properly, indicating Happy exited before impact. “It would have been tough to open the door under water pressure,” Brar noted.
Following statements by the victim’s kin, Happy was arrested. The police said the incident occurred on June 23 after a minor dispute. Ramandeep drowned, while Happy, from Bajewala village in Mansa, managed to swim to safety. A case was registered on the complaint of Ramandeep’s brother, Gurjeet Singh.
In a significant assertion of religious autonomy, the caretakers of Takht Sri Hazur Sahib have issued a gurmata (collective religious edict) rejecting the Maharashtra government’s proposal to repeal the Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Act, 1956 and replace it with a new law.
The decision followed a high-level congregation involving the Panj Pyare (the Guru’s five beloved ones), senior clergy and representatives of various Sikh religious bodies. After deliberations, a unanimous resolution was adopted, firmly calling for the retention of the original 1956 Act.
The gurmata, considered a binding, collective decision taken in the name of the Guru, was formally read out by Singh Sahib Giani Ram Singh in the presence of Takht Jathedar Giani Kulwant Singh.
According to a senior functionary associated with the Takht, said that it was an attempt to dilute the established traditions of the Takht.
The ‘gurmata’ says that the existing administrative framework of Hazur Sahib is rooted in principles laid down by Sikh scholars and guided by the vision of Guru Gobind Singh. The proposed legislation, they argue, risks undermining these foundations.
“There is a clear apprehension that the state’s fresh move is driven by vested interests and making interference in Takht affairs,” a former senior functionary observed, reflecting the sentiment prevailing within the shrine’s establishment.
The Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, recently approved a proposal to repeal the seven-decade-old Act and introduce a new law titled “Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurdwara Act.”
The proposed legislation is slated to be tabled in the ongoing Vidhan Sabha session. Once passed, it will pave the way for a new administrative framework governing the gurdwara board, including revised rules for elections, management and by-laws.
The push for a fresh law is based on recommendations by a state-appointed committee, which has suggested structural changes in governance.
The move has triggered strong reactions across Sikh institutions, with major panthic bodies—including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Akal Takht—voicing firm opposition against the government’s repeated attempts to amend the existing law to penetrate and establish its dominance.
The organisations have described the move as a direct intrusion into the religious autonomy of one of Sikhism’s five Takhts and have warned against any attempt to alter its maryada (religious code) or administrative independence.
Earlier, in February, 2024, the Maharashtra government made an amendment to enable direct nomination of 12 of 17 members of the board. Similarly, SGPC’s nomination was reduced and the Chief Khalsa Diwan and Hazuri Sachkhand Diwan, alongwith the membership of Sikh MPs was abolished. Following a massive protest by the SGPC and other local Sikh oraganisations then, the government was compelled to roll back the amendment. Similar attempts were made in 2018 and 2019 too, but were foiled.
ndia’s ambitions to produce a fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) have encountered a setback, after the F414 engine sought from US aerospace giant General Electric (GE) for the aircraft’s design and development turned out to be ‘too expensive’.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which is designing the aircraft, is now exploring alternative options for powering the under-development prototype.
Sources clarified that the requirement for engines to support the AMCA design and development is distinct from the ongoing commercial negotiations between GE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to manufacture the same F414 engine in India under a joint venture. Technical discussions for the JV have been completed, while commercial talks are still underway and expected to take several months.
The GE-HAL joint venture covers procurement, technology transfer, licensed manufacturing, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, spares, warranties, and delivery schedules. The JV’s engines are intended to power the Tejas Mark 2 and the first variant of the AMCA, while a second variant is expected to use a more powerful engine being co-developed by Safran and HAL.
However, in the case of engines sought for AMCA’s design and development, GE has reportedly quoted a price nearly three times higher than earlier estimates. Initially projected at Rs 70–80 crore per unit, the revised cost is said to be almost triple. With the AMCA designed as a twin-engine aircraft, the cost of engines alone could reach $380–400 million (Rs 3,500–3,800 crore) per plane, raising concerns over both affordability and timelines for the flagship fighter programme.
The AMCA is central to the future combat readiness of the Indian Air Force. Last month, the Ministry of Defence invited three shortlisted consortiums to submit formal commercial and technical bids for manufacturing five prototypes of the aircraft. The bidders include Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), competing independently; a consortium led by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) with Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and Dynamatic Technologies Ltd; and another consortium comprising Bharat Forge, PSU BEML, and Data Patterns.
The winning partner will collaborate with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under DRDO to build five flying prototypes and one structural test aircraft. The shortlisted firms, selected based on their technical capabilities, will compete to build prototypes of the fighter aircraft. A few F414 engines from GE had been sought specifically for this design and development phase.
The government on Wednesday clarified that an Indian passport is primarily a travel document and should not be construed as proof of citizenship, a statement that triggered debate and drew political reactions.
According to media reports, officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) made the clarification while outlining developments in India’s passport and mobility ecosystem on the occasion of Passport Seva Divas.
The officials reportedly said that a passport attests to the nationality of an Indian citizen while travelling abroad but is not, in itself, a document of citizenship.
News reports quoted officials as saying that passports are issued only after extensive verification and due diligence involving multiple government agencies. However, they stressed that the document’s principal purpose is to facilitate international travel and establish identity overseas.
The clarification comes amid continuing public debate over what documents can be relied upon to establish citizenship. Several court rulings in recent years have held that documents such as Aadhaar cards, voter identity cards, PAN cards and other records are not, by themselves, conclusive proof of citizenship.
Another report noted that there is no single universally accepted citizenship document issued to all Indian citizens by birth. The report said citizenship claims are often determined through a combination of records and legal provisions under the Citizenship Act.
The MEA’s remarks also sparked political criticism. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray questioned the rationale behind the clarification, asking whether police verification conducted before passport issuance would lose significance if a passport was not regarded as proof of citizenship.
The government, however, maintained that the passport remains a secure and rigorously verified travel document. Officials highlighted the rollout of chip-based e-passports and ongoing efforts to modernise passport services across the country.
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