**Leaving Hamas in Power Would Be a Cowardly Betrayal of the Israeli People**
*Opinion*
As the Israel-Hamas war drags on, those who have sacrificed in this prolonged conflict are growing increasingly frustrated with both Israeli and U.S. officials. The ongoing operations and the cost borne by the Israeli people demand decisive action.
*Photo Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit*
By Jonathan Pollard
It has long been a Netanyahu mantra that Israel must stand against a hostile world, alone if necessary. However, through his own government’s missteps, he has brought Israel to the brink of true isolation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the opening of the Knesset Museum, Jerusalem, August 11, 2025; illustrative.
(Photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
By MARK LAVIE / THE MEDIA LINE
It has long been a Netanyahu mantra that Israel must stand against a hostile world, alone if necessary. However, through his own government’s missteps, he has brought Israel to the brink of true isolation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the opening of the Knesset Museum, Jerusalem, August 11, 2025; illustrative.
Photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90
By MARK LAVIE / THE MEDIA LINE
The Assam government has announced a three-day state mourning following the death of renowned singer Zubeen Garg, reported news agency ANI.
The Assam Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated that there will be no official entertainment, ceremonial programs, or public celebrations during this period. However, “essential activities” will continue under the ‘Sewa Saptah’ campaign.
This decision for a three-day state mourning was taken by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. In a tweet, CM Sarma wrote, “In loving memory of Assam’s eternal voice, Zubeen Garg. As a mark of respect, HCM Dr @himantabiswa has directed that State Mourning be declared from 20th to 22nd September 2025. During this period, all official entertainment, ceremonial programs, and public celebrations will be in abeyance. Assam Government stands in solidarity with the people in mourning beloved Zubeen. His legacy will forever resonate in our hearts. Essential service activities under ‘Sewa Saptah’ will continue, while ceremonial or benefit-distribution events stand postponed.”
Earlier, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma provided updates regarding the mortal remains of the late singer, who passed away at the age of 52 in Singapore on Friday. On Saturday, the CM posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Garg’s post-mortem will be conducted in Singapore, after which his mortal remains will be handed over to Indian authorities.
In another tweet, he announced that Garg’s mortal remains will be kept at Sarusajai, Guwahati, to allow supporters to pay their last tributes.
The sudden demise of Zubeen Garg has left a deep void among his fans both in Assam and beyond. The Chief Minister, who has been in regular contact with Singaporean authorities, has requested a detailed inquiry into the circumstances leading to Garg’s death. According to ANI, CM Sarma stated, “I spoke to the High Commissioner of Singapore, His Excellency Simon Wong, and requested a detailed enquiry into the circumstances leading to the untimely demise of our beloved Zubeen Garg. Excellency has assured me of complete cooperation in this regard.”
The Assam CM also shared that he will travel to the national capital on Saturday to receive Garg’s mortal remains. “I will be going to Delhi later today to receive our beloved Zubeen’s mortal remains from Singapore. From there, we will immediately bring him back to Guwahati, hopefully by 6 am,” he added.
Meanwhile, fans across Assam, including those in Guwahati and Jorhat, were seen breaking down as they paid emotional tributes to the beloved singer.
(With inputs from ANI)
https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/assam-declares-three-day-state-mourning-in-honour-of-zubeen-garg-cm-to-receive-late-singers-mortal-remains-23594981
Tribal farmers in Maharashtra will soon have the opportunity to lease their land to private entities for agricultural purposes or mineral excavation, enabling them to generate additional income, state Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has announced.
Currently, tribal farmers are not permitted to independently enter into lease agreements with private parties. However, a new law is set to change this, providing tribals direct access to private investment while safeguarding their land ownership rights.
Speaking to reporters in Gadchiroli on Friday evening, Bawankule stated, “A law will be brought soon. Under this policy, tribal farmers will be able to lease out their land directly to private parties for agricultural purposes or mineral excavation.”
To ensure transparency and fairness, all lease agreements will require the participation of the district collector. The minister added, “The minimum lease rent will be Rs 50,000 per acre annually or Rs 1,25,000 per hectare per year. Farmers and private parties can mutually decide on a higher amount.”
Additionally, tribal farmers will be allowed to enter into Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with private companies for mineral excavation if major or minor minerals are discovered on their land. They will receive monetary benefits based on the quantity of minerals extracted, either per tonne or per brass, although the exact compensation details are yet to be finalized.
Bawankule emphasized that tribal farmers will not have to approach Mantralaya in Mumbai for approvals; decisions can be made at the district collectorate level, streamlining the process.
Officials explained that this policy aims to secure a steady source of revenue for tribal communities while protecting their ownership rights. Previously, strict regulations to prevent misuse of tribal land often caused delays and made tribals dependent on state-level permissions.
This development marks a significant step toward empowering tribal farmers economically while ensuring their land rights remain intact.
*This article includes information sourced from third-party syndicated feeds. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for the dependability, trustworthiness, or reliability of the content. Mid-day management reserves the right to alter, delete, or remove content at its sole discretion without prior notice.*
https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/tribal-farmers-can-lease-land-to-private-entities-govt-to-bring-law-minister-23594956
**Jabalpur High Court Rules Against Sending MP Police Constables for Band Duties Without Consent**
The High Court of Madhya Pradesh has ruled that Constables (General Duty) of the MP Police who have undergone police band training cannot be assigned to perform or play in police band functions without their consent.
This directive came during the hearing of a petition filed by MK Rawat, Pradeep Bhuriya, Ravindra Kushwaha, Prakash Singh, and Rahul Girwal, all posted as Constables (General Duty) in MP Police. Justice Vivek Jain stated, “In view of the position that the petitioners have already undertaken training of police band, it is observed that they shall not be sent for police band duties without their consent.”
The constables had challenged departmental orders requiring them to undergo police band training. While their training on musical instruments was completed, they objected to being deployed to perform in various functions and programmes.
The petitioners relied on a previous High Court order dated February 21, 2024, which had held that police personnel cannot be sent for training or assigned duties related to playing the band without their consent.
According to the petitioners’ counsel, Nityanand Mishra, the constables’ primary responsibilities involve maintaining law and order and investigating offences. Therefore, their consent is essential before being deployed for police band performances during official events.
This ruling safeguards the rights of police personnel by ensuring that their deployment for specialized duties like police band performances is voluntary and not imposed.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/constables-trained-with-police-band-shall-not-perform-without-their-wish-says-madhya-pradesh-high-court
**India’s First Trillion-Parameter AI Model to Power Next-Gen Applications**
*By Mudit Dube | Sep 19, 2025, 05:18 PM*
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In a major stride for India’s artificial intelligence landscape, BharatGen—a government-backed consortium led by IIT Bombay—has been awarded over ₹900 crore under the IndiaAI Mission. This substantial funding will support the creation of India’s first trillion-parameter large language model (LLM), designed to fuel next-generation AI applications across multiple sectors.
### Building a Trillion-Parameter Model for India
The ambitious project aims to develop a massive AI model tailored specifically for Indian contexts. However, this colossal “mother” model is not intended for direct consumer use. Instead, it will be distilled into smaller, domain-specific models suited for industries such as law, agriculture, and finance.
Rishi Bal, Executive Vice President at BharatGen, explained that these distilled models could serve practical uses—like agricultural advisory tools available in various regional languages or legal assistants trained on Indian case law—making AI more accessible and useful across diverse fields.
### Creating a Sovereign Indian Dataset
To ensure that the LLM accurately reflects India’s unique languages and cultures, BharatGen is heavily investing in building a sovereign dataset. The consortium is collaborating with publishers to license archival content and is providing free OCR services to digitize regional texts.
Furthermore, crowdsourced annotation efforts are underway to capture the linguistic nuances and cultural specificities of Indian languages. This indigenous data collection strategy is aimed at reducing reliance on foreign datasets and better aligning AI outputs with Indian realities.
### Overcoming GPU Supply and Funding Challenges
Training a trillion-parameter AI model requires thousands of GPUs working in parallel, and hardware availability remains a key challenge. Bal noted that, like many in the field, BharatGen must navigate GPU supply constraints.
The ₹900 crore government funding will partially subsidize GPU acquisition, supporting the computational backbone of this mammoth training effort. Under the IndiaAI Mission, nearly 40,000 GPUs have been allocated across various initiatives, including BharatGen’s sovereign LLM project.
### Focus on Reliability and Real-World Impact
BharatGen CEO Ganesh Ramakrishnan emphasized that the focus is on building models grounded in Indian data and languages rather than simply scaling up parameters. He highlighted the importance of reliability for real-world applications.
The consortium plans to release distilled models to developers, enabling startups and enterprises to build AI-powered solutions without needing to train massive models from scratch. This approach is expected to accelerate innovation and democratize access to cutting-edge AI technology.
### Collaborative, Efficient Operations
Operating on a hub-and-spoke model with teams spread across India, BharatGen brings together engineers, data scientists, and domain experts while maintaining lean operations. This distributed structure fosters collaboration and specialization.
Looking ahead, BharatGen is exploring public-private partnerships and sustainable revenue models such as licensing distilled AI models — ensuring continuous growth and broader adoption of Indian AI technologies.
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With this landmark project, BharatGen is paving the way for AI systems that are not only powerful but also deeply rooted in India’s linguistic and cultural landscape, promising impactful and reliable applications across the nation’s key sectors.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/science/iit-bombay-s-bharatgen-to-build-1t-parameter-ai-model/story
**India’s First Trillion-Parameter Model to Power Next-Gen AI Apps**
*By Mudit Dube | Sep 19, 2025, 05:18 PM*
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**BharatGen Consortium Awarded ₹900 Crore to Build India’s Largest AI Model**
A government-backed consortium led by IIT Bombay, BharatGen, has been granted over ₹900 crore under the IndiaAI Mission to develop India’s first trillion-parameter large language model (LLM). This ambitious project aims to create a massive AI system that will serve as the foundation for building smaller, domain-specific models tailored for sectors such as law, agriculture, and finance.
—
**From a ‘Mother Model’ to Specialized AI Solutions**
Rishi Bal, Executive Vice President at BharatGen, explained that the trillion-parameter model is not intended for direct use by consumers. Instead, it will act as a “mother system” from which smaller, more efficient AI models can be distilled. These specialized models could include agricultural advisory tools available in regional languages or legal assistants trained on Indian case law, designed to meet the unique needs of various industries.
—
**Building a Sovereign Indian Dataset**
To ensure the AI reflects authentic Indian contexts, BharatGen is heavily investing in creating a sovereign dataset by aggregating diverse Indian content. The consortium is collaborating with publishers to license their archives and create comprehensive digital corpora. Additionally, they are providing free OCR (Optical Character Recognition) services to digitize regional texts and are employing crowdsourced annotation to capture the nuances of Indian languages and culture.
—
**Hardware Challenges and GPU Availability**
Training a trillion-parameter model requires thousands of GPUs running in parallel. Bal acknowledged the challenges in securing sufficient hardware and noted that BharatGen must wait for GPU supply like others in the field. The ₹900 crore government funding will act as a subsidy to help procure the necessary GPUs. Under the IndiaAI mission, around 40,000 GPUs have been allocated to various projects, including building India’s sovereign LLM models.
—
**Focus on Reliability and Real-World Applications**
Ganesh Ramakrishnan, CEO of BharatGen, emphasized that their priority is creating AI models grounded in Indian data and languages with a strong focus on reliability for real-world applications—not just raw scale. BharatGen plans to release distilled versions of the model to developers, enabling startups and enterprises to build AI-powered applications without the need to train colossal systems from scratch.
—
**Operational Structure and Future Plans**
BharatGen operates on a hub-and-spoke model with teams distributed across multiple locations in India. According to Bal, this approach helps bring together engineers, data scientists, and domain experts efficiently while keeping operations lean. Ramakrishnan also noted that BharatGen is exploring public-private partnerships and revenue models such as licensing smaller distilled models to sustain and expand the initiative.
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This pioneering project marks a significant step toward India’s technological sovereignty in AI, promising customized and reliable solutions tailored for the country’s diverse sectors and languages.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/science/iit-bombay-s-bharatgen-to-build-1t-parameter-ai-model/story
New Delhi: Central government employees and pensioners, who have long awaited updates on the 8th Pay Commission, might receive some financial cheer before Diwali. According to media reports, the government is likely to announce an increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) ahead of the festival season. This move could benefit more than 1.2 crore employees and pensioners, just in time to help with extra festive expenses during Dussehra and Diwali.
### How Much Could the DA Increase?
At present, central government employees receive 55 percent DA on their basic salary. Experts tracking inflation trends believe the government may raise the DA by 3 percent, considering the current price rise.
DA is reviewed and revised twice every year — once in January and then again in July. While the final approval takes some time, the increase is usually reflected in salaries a few months later.
### When Will the Money Be Credited?
Although the official announcement for the July DA hike hasn’t been made yet, it is expected to come around September or October — just before Diwali. Employees will not only receive the increased DA but also the arrears for the months of January and July.
This means their salary accounts will receive a large credit amount, providing extra cash to manage expenses during the festive season. It is common for such arrears to be paid in bulk, giving employees a significant one-time boost in income.
### What Will Be the Salary Impact?
To understand the impact, consider this simple example: If an employee’s basic salary is Rs 50,000, a 3 percent increase in DA would mean an extra Rs 1,500 each month. Over several months, along with arrears, this could add up to a lump sum of Rs 10,000 or more, depending on the employee’s pay structure.
The DA is calculated based on the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW), a number released by the Labour Bureau each month.
### Any Update on the 8th Pay Commission?
Meanwhile, there is growing curiosity around the 8th Pay Commission. Although it was earlier expected to roll out in 2027, some reports now suggest it could be implemented by early 2026.
Last month, leaders from the Government Employees National Confederation (GENC) met with Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who confirmed that discussions are ongoing with various state governments. This has raised hopes that an official panel could be formed soon, bringing further clarity on salary revisions in the near future.
Stay tuned for more updates on the DA hike and the 8th Pay Commission developments.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/business/will-your-salary-account-get-a-festive-surprise-soon-big-hike-in-da-likely-just-before-diwali-for-12-crore-employees
In a bid to resolve the Karnataka caste conundrum, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has mandated yet another survey of backward classes, the fifth since 1975. But if competing interest groups can strong-arm a state government into rejecting survey data, can the exercise result in an objective identification of socially and economically backward groups?
The move brings into focus the increasing complexity of India’s quota system and the urgent need for rationalisation based on accurate data.
### The Karnataka Backward Classes Survey Controversy
In Karnataka, the 2015 Kantharaj Commission conducted an exhaustive survey that covered almost the entire population of the state. However, its report was kept in abeyance until 2024. The full data is not yet available, but politically influential communities such as the Lingayats and Vokkaligas have complained about massive undercounting of their respective populations.
Media reports citing earlier commissions — the 1986 Venkataswamy and 1990 O Chinnappa Reddy commissions — allege a sharp decline in the share of the Lingayat population, from 17% in 1986 to 11% in 2015. To avert a political firestorm, the state government has ordered a fresh survey.
Meanwhile, the opposition has highlighted the lack of transparency regarding the Kantharaj Commission’s findings. They also point out that a pan-India caste census is scheduled for the coming year, questioning the justification for spending Rs 420 crore of taxpayers’ money on a fresh survey.
### Challenges in Census Data and Quota Systems
Further complications may arise if the data from the pan-India caste census does not match that of the state backward class commission survey.
Similar challenges have occurred elsewhere. In Telangana, the state caste census evoked criticism over alleged unscientific methodology, data manipulation, and undercounting of backward classes and other communities. The debate also reignited discussions on whether non-Hindus should be included in the caste census, since caste stratification is not recognised by religions other than Hinduism.
Telangana has justified a quota for Muslims on the grounds of ‘backwardness’ rather than religion. This argument implicitly recognises the de facto existence of caste among Muslim communities, although social equality is a core tenet of Islam. It remains for the courts to make a final ruling on this matter.
### Political Pressures and Judicial Caps on Quotas
Caste census data is bound to be controversial as competing interest groups jostle to claim a larger share of the population, and therefore quotas. State governments must summon the political will to resist such pressures and act judiciously on the data.
The basic objective of the caste census is to promote social justice. This means not just identifying communities under-represented in education, employment, and political representation, but also formulating policies based on hard data.
Typically, this translates into allocating larger quotas for these communities in government institutions and representative bodies. However, increasing the quota for one community generally means reducing it for another, something no state government is prepared to do.
For example, after the 2022 Bihar caste census, the state government expanded quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) to a combined 65% by amending existing reservation statutes. But in June 2024, the Patna High Court set aside these amendments on constitutional grounds, and the Supreme Court refused to intervene, leaving quotas capped at 50%.
Similarly, courts in other states have enforced the 50% cap on caste-based quotas. The Chhattisgarh High Court struck down an order increasing quotas to 58% in 2022. The Bombay High Court has invalidated quota expansions exceeding 50% and is hearing petitions against renewed attempts. The Rajasthan and Orissa High Courts have also rejected quota increases beyond the 50% ceiling.
### Moving Beyond Inflating the Reservation Pie
State governments should not view the caste census merely as a tool to inflate the size of the reservation pie. Instead, this valuable data has multiple applications.
Firstly, it can guide a fairer distribution of quotas within categories. States can implement quotas within quotas, even for Scheduled Castes.
For instance, the Rohini Commission highlighted how dominant OBC groups corner benefits to the detriment of others — revealing that a third of OBCs had received no benefits at all. This underscores the acute need for reservation reforms based on accurate census data.
However, slicing quotas more finely may provoke social unrest. This has intensified pressure on the judiciary to either lift the 50% cap on quotas or to extend reservations to the private sector. Both options carry potential downsides, including exacerbating the ‘brain drain’ as talent leaves India — a risky outcome as the nation seeks to leverage its human capital for development.
### Using Census Data to Enhance Welfare Measures
Another significant application of caste census data lies in formulating welfare measures. Accurate numbers enable better targeting of subsidies, community development programmes, and financial allocations to the most underprivileged groups.
Vote bank politics often leads to haphazard tinkering with quotas, resulting in chaotic outcomes. States should await the comprehensive caste census data and use it constructively to rationalise the quota system and target genuinely underprivileged communities more effectively.
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**About the Author:**
Bhavdeep Kang is a senior journalist with 35 years of experience working with major newspapers and magazines. She is currently an independent writer and author.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/karnatakas-new-backward-class-survey-raises-questions-on-quotas-accuracy-and-social-justice
