Month: September 2025

As Goods and Services Tax (GST) 2.0, a significant overhaul of the country’s indirect tax system, came into effect from today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a letter to the Indian citizens, highlighting that the ‘GST Bachat Utsav’ will boost savings and directly benefit every section of society.

In his letter, PM Modi extended wishes to the countrymen on the occasion of Navratri.

“As the nation celebrates the beginning of Navaratri, I extend heartfelt wishes to you and your families. May this festival bring good health, happiness and prosperity to everyone. This year, the festive season brings an added reason to rejoice. From September 22nd, the Next Generation GST reforms have begun to make their presence felt, marking the start of a ‘GST Bachat Utsav’ or ‘GST Savings Festival’ across the country,” PM Modi wrote.

The Prime Minister highlighted that these reforms will boost savings and directly benefit every section of society, including farmers, women, youth, the poor, middle-class individuals, traders, and MSMEs.

“They will encourage greater growth and investments and accelerate the progress of every state and region,” PM Modi wrote in his letter.

“An important feature of the Next Generation GST reforms is that there will mainly be two slabs of 5% and 18%. Daily essentials such as food, medicines, soap, toothpaste, insurance and many more items will now either be tax-free or fall in the lowest 5% tax slab. Goods that were earlier taxed at 12% have almost entirely shifted to 5%. It is greatly heartening to see various shopkeepers and traders putting up ‘then and now’ boards which indicate taxes pre-reforms and post-reforms,” he said.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Modi emphasised that over the last few years, 25 crore people have risen above poverty and formed an aspirational new middle class.

“Further, we have also strengthened the hands of our middle class with the massive income tax cuts, which ensure zero tax up to the annual income of Rs 12 lakh. If we combine the income tax cuts and the Next Generation GST reforms, they add up to savings of nearly Rs 2.5 lakh crore for the people,” he wrote.

“Your household expenses will reduce, and it will be easier to fulfil aspirations such as building a home, purchasing a vehicle, purchasing appliances, eating out or planning a family vacation. Now, these new reforms take us further, simplifying the system, reducing rates and putting more savings in the hands of the people,” PM Modi wrote.

PM Modi recalled that the introduction of GST in 2017 was a “turning point” in freeing the country from multiple taxes.

“Our nation’s GST journey, which began in 2017, was a turning point in freeing our citizens and businesses from the web of multiple taxes. GST united the nation economically. ‘One Nation, One Tax’ brought uniformity and relief. The GST Council, with the active participation of both the Centre and the States, took many pro-people decisions,” he said.

The Prime Minister also mentioned that the country’s small industries, shopkeepers, traders, entrepreneurs and MSMEs will also see greater “Ease of Doing Business” and “Ease of Compliance Lower taxes”, lower prices and simpler rules will mean better sales, less compliance burden and growth of opportunities, especially in the MSME sector.

“Our collective goal is Viksit Bharat by 2047. To achieve it, walking on the path of self-reliance is imperative. These reforms strengthen our local manufacturing base, paving the way towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” PM Modi wrote.

Calling on the countrymen to buy and sell Made in India products, Prime Minsiter Modi wrote, “On a related note, this festive season, let us also resolve to support products that are Made in India. This means buying Swadeshi products that have the sweat and toil of an Indian involved in their making, irrespective of the brand or the company that makes them.”

“Every time you buy a product made by our own artisans, workers and industries, you are helping many families earn their living and creating job opportunities for our youth,” PM Modi wrote.

He also appealed to shopkeepers and traders to sell products that are Made in India.

“I also urge state governments to encourage industry, manufacturing and improvement of the investment climate. May these reforms bring greater prosperity to every Indian household,” PM Modi wrote.

The reform in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure was approved during the 56th meeting of the GST Council earlier this month.

The previous four-slab system has been replaced with a streamlined two-slab regime of 5 per cent and 18 per cent. A separate 40 per cent slab has been retained for luxury and sin goods. (ANI)

Bollywood actor Rani Mukerji is all set to return in her fierce and fearless avatar for the much-awaited ‘Mardaani 3’.

Marking the auspicious beginning of Navratri, Yash Raj Films, on Monday, shared a new poster from the third instalment in Rani Mukerji’s celebrated cop franchise, setting up the stage for an epic battle between good and evil.

Rani Mukerji will reprise her beloved character as police officer Shivani Shivaji Roy, the makers confirmed.

They also shared the first poster of ‘Mardaani 3’ along with the powerful chant of Algiri Nandini as they celebrate Goddess Durga’s power. It also hints toward how the daredevil cop will now have to put her life on the line to solve a “brutal case.”

The poster shows a close-up of Rani’s hand, holding onto a revolver as she stands tall against the barricade of the Delhi Police.

The announcement instantly sparked a wave of joy among fans as many have been eagerly anticipating the sequel. One wrote, “I’m counting and can’t wait to see you #Mardaani3,” while another added, “What a surprise.”

The ‘Mardaani’ films – the only female-cop-led franchise in Indian cinema – have been constantly striking a chord with the fans with their hard-hitting narratives, further serving as an eye-opener for society. The first film was released in 2014, while the second one came out in 2019. “This third chapter promises to be even darker and grittier, to give audiences a more edge-of-the-seat theatrical experience,” the makers said, as per a press release.

Directed by Abhiraj Minawala and produced by Aditya Chopra, ‘Mardaani 3’ will hit theatres on February 27, 2026.

Speaking about the film’s tone, Rani Mukerji had earlier teased that ‘Mardaani 3’ is an “edge-of-the-seat thriller” that is “dark, deadly, and brutal.”

According to the makers, the film will feature a bloody, violent clash between Shivani’s goodness and sinister evil forces. (ANI)

It might have been decades since Sylvester Stallone first stepped in as the fearless war veteran John Rambo, but the actor always wanted to return to play the character one more time.

In a recent interview, Sylvester Stallone revealed having an idea for a ‘Rambo’ prequel, where he wanted to experiment with artificial intelligence to de-age his character.

“Everyone thought I was crazy. AI is sophisticated enough to go through Saigon to see him at 18 years old and basically use the same image. So it isn’t as big a stretch,” he said, as quoted by Variety.

Noting that the character of John Rambo won’t be easy for any actor to play, Stallone added, “It’s very, very hard. He may do a stellar job, but you’re overcoming this because I went through it with ‘Get Carter.’ Everyone loves the original, and then you’re always fighting that prejudice.”

Stallone’s comments come at a time when a ‘Rambo’ prequel is said to be in the pipeline, with Noah Centineo in the lead role.

Earlier in 2022, the actor spoke to The Hollywood Reporter and shared that he wanted the Rambo prequel to happen like a Ken Burns documentary. “He’s this outgoing guy, football captain, and then you see why he becomes Rambo. But what they want to do is a modern-day story where I pass the torch. That’s getting close,” Stallone explained.

Meanwhile, the Noah Centineo starrer ‘Rambo’ is not the only film in works. Peter Farrelly will also present the ‘Rocky’ making-of drama ‘I Play Rocky’ with Anthony Ippolito in the lead, as per Variety.

Nonetheless, Sylvester Stallone is set to bring his memoir, ‘The Steps’, on May 5, 2026. On the work front, he was recently seen in Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Tulsa King’ Season 3. (ANI)

Neeraj Ghaywan’s directorial ‘Homebound’, which stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor, has been selected by the Film Federation of India (FFI) as the country’s official entry for the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.

On Monday, a press conference was organised in Mumbai, where Ishaan, Vishal and Neeraj expressed happiness over the film’s selection for Oscars, sharing their experience working on the project.

“This is the film I am proudest of. Bhaut garv hai mujhe ispe….It’s an extremely important film. Neeraj bhai has made this movie with a lot of thought so that it can reach a wider audience,” Ishaan said.

The film was earlier screened at Cannes 2025, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). It is now all set to be released in Indian theatres on September 26.

“I mean, Cannes, Toronto, Melbourne, all of these things happened and we were super thrilled for the critical acclaim that we got from around the world. But personally for me, it being homebound to India is the biggest, biggest thing. I mean, that cannot be matched with anything else.

We are so eager to see how everyone sees it on the 26th of September. We have made this film for our country. We made this film with absolute authenticity and absolute integrity and it shows, I hope it shows here and people appreciate it,” Neeraj said.

Ghaywan’s ‘Homebound’ revolves around two childhood friends from a small North Indian village who chase a police job that promises them the dignity they’ve long been denied. But as they inch closer to their dream, mounting desperation threatens the bond that holds them together.

While speaking about the film, Vishal shared the advice once given to him by Aditya Chopra, which he continues to follow.

“To play this character, I followed a kind of guru mantra that Aditya Chopra sir once shared with me. When I first met him, he told me, ‘Surrender yourself completely to the director.’ That advice has stayed with me, and I still follow it. I did the same here..I simply surrendered. Beyond that, I honestly don’t know what more I have done. When I met Neeraj sir, I carried only one thought in my mind: he has invested so much time and effort into this film, and I wanted to honour that,” Vishal shared. (ANI)

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Delhi police on pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider and Shifa Ur Rehman challenging the Delhi High Court order, which denied them bail in the UAPA case linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots.

A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria posted the matter for hearing on October 27.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said they are students and have been in jail for over five years.

“Yes we will hear you and dispose it of… issue notice in all,” the bench ordered.

The Delhi High Court on September 2 denied bail to Imam, Khalid and seven others – Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima.

On September 2, the bail plea of another accused Tasleem Ahmed was rejected by a different High Court bench.

Delhi Police had opposed their bail pleas, saying it was not a case of spontaneous riots but a case where riots were “planned well in advance” with a “sinister motive and well-thought-out conspiracy”.

The High Court had observed that prima facie, the role of Imam and Khalid in the entire conspiracy was “grave”, having delivered inflammatory speeches on communal lines to “instigate mass mobilisation of members of the Muslim community.”

They sought bail from the apex court in the larger conspiracy case under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020.

In 2020, the Delhi police arrested Imam under the UAPA and named him the main conspirator behind the Delhi riots case.

The violence had erupted during the protests against the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. (ANI)

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Monday demanded an inquiry into the aerial bombing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to bring to justice those responsible.

The HRCP said that the citizens of a nation are entitled to the right to live, which Pakistan has failed to protect.

In a post on X, the HRCP said, “HRCP is deeply shocked to learn that a number of civilians, including children, have been killed, allegedly as a result of aerial bombing in Tirah, Khyber district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We demand that the authorities carry out an immediate and impartial inquiry into the incident and hold to account those responsible. The state is constitutionally bound to protect all civilians’ right to life, which it has repeatedly failed to secure.”

Several leaders from Pakistan’s opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have alleged that a bombing campaign was being carried out by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jets in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, leaving several dead, with at least 20 bodies reportedly recovered from the rubble.

According to PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, multiple bombs struck the civilians during the airstrike, destroying five houses and killing civilians, including women and children.

The PTI has also shared disturbing images and videos of the incident site showing dead bodies, including those of children, lying around.

“During the jet aircraft bombing in the Tirah Valley of Khyber, several bombs fell on the local population. Five houses of local citizens were destroyed, and according to local sources, 20 bodies have been recovered from the rubble so far, including children and women among the martyrs. I have no words that can encompass this sorrow and grief Sometimes drones, sometimes bombings have sown so many seeds of hatred that when this lava erupts, nothing will be left,” PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said in a post on X. (ANI)

The trailer for Rishab Shetty’s much-awaited ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ has been unveiled.

On Monday, Hombale Films released the trailer, coinciding with the first day of Navratri.

The trailer opens with a focus on a child’s character, who tries to understand the mystery behind the disappearance of his father. It further progresses to shed light on the backstory – “a legend.”

In the trailer, a village is shown being tormented by a ruthless king, ‘Kulashekara’, when they are blessed with an angel of God to protect humankind.

With this, Rishab Shetty enters as the lead protagonist, fighting the enemies as he fearlessly takes a stand for the villagers. Amid a fierce clash with Kulashekara, the trailer also offers a glimpse into the blooming romance between Rishab and Rukmini.

The trailer concludes with a violent battle, set against the mystical struggle between nature and the supernatural.

“Some stories aren’t just told, they are experienced. Proud to unveil the Hindi Trailer of #KantaraChapter1, a film where folklore, faith & fury collide,” the makers said.

One of the most-anticipated releases of the year, ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ takes the audiences back to the roots of the story as shown in the first film. In a bid to carry the legacy, the makers have also curated an extensive war sequence with national and international specialists, involving over 500 skilled fighters and featuring 3,000 people.

The sequence was filmed in an entire town spanning 25 acres on rugged terrain, over a period of 45-50 days, making it one of the biggest sequences in the history of Indian cinema.

Written and directed by Shetty, the film has already built a lot of curiosity, with the trailer taking a notch higher.

It is scheduled for a worldwide release on October 2, 2025, in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali, and English. (ANI)

Emotional fans continue to turn up at the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex to pay their last respects to Assam’s popular singer Zubeen Garg on Monday.

Visuals from outside the complex show people in large numbers waiting in long queues for the final glimpse of the music icon. Fans appeared visibly sad as they mourned the tragic passing of Zubeen Garg.

One of the fans spoke to ANI and expressed her thoughts. “What do I even say. I don’t have words to speak. The entire state is grieving. Ever since we heard the news, all of us have been crying. It was a shock for everyone. He was loved by all. May his soul rest in peace,” she said.

Another fan was seen breaking down in tears as she grieved the singer’s passing.

“It is a sad moment. He was a good human being. We are just speechless,” one said.

The last rites of Zubeen Garg will be conducted on Tuesday, September 23, at Kamarkuchi village, Sonapur. While addressing the media, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated, “We will carry the mortal remains of Zubeen Garg from Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex at around 8 am on September 23 to the location of Kamarkuchi, where the last rites will be conducted. A state funeral will be held on September 23.”

He also spoke about Garg’s death certificate, which mentioned the cause of death as “drowning.”

“The Singapore High Commission sent the death certificate of Zubeen Garg, and they mentioned the cause of death is drowning. But this is not a post-mortem report. The post-mortem report is different, and the death certificate is different. We will send the documents to CID. The Chief Secretary of the Assam Government is contacting the Singapore Ambassador to get the post-mortem report as soon as possible,” he said.

Zubeen Garg was in Singapore for the Northeast India Festival. His mortal remains were flown to Delhi and later transported to Assam. (ANI)

The Indian opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill made history on Sunday, forming the highest partnership for India against Pakistan while opening in T20Is.

Abhishek and Gill stitched a partnership of 105 runs in just a little less than 10 overs during the run chase of 172 runs at Dubai.

They went past a stand between Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane against Pakistan back in 2012 at Bengaluru, when they put up 77 runs while opening.

This was also the first-ever 100-plus run partnership for any team, for any wicket during the ongoing Asia Cup.

During the match, India won the toss and elected to field first. After Pakistan lost Fakhar Zaman, a quickfire 72-run stand followed between Sahibzada Farhan (58 in 45 balls, with five fours and three sixes) and Saim Ayub (21 in 17 balls, with a four and six) put Pakistan ahead. Later, knocks from Mohammed Nawaz (21 in 19 balls, with a four and six) and Faheem Ashraf (20* in eight balls, with a four and two sixes) took Pakistan to 171/5 in 20 overs.

Shivam Dube (2/33) was the pick of the bowlers for India, while Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya got one each.

During the run-chase of 172, Abhishek Sharma (74 in 39 balls, with six fours and five sixes) and Shubman Gill (47 in 28 balls, with eight fours) took Pakistan out of the game in the first ten overs. While Haris Rauf (2/26) tried to fight it out for Pakistan, Tilak Varma (30* in 19 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Hardik (7*) took India to a win with seven balls left.

Abhishek secured the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his explosive knock. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday extended greetings for Navratri to the nation and wished for “new strength and faith” among the citizens.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Infinite Navratri greetings to all of you. May this sacred festival, filled with devotion, courage, restraint, and determination, bring new strength and new faith into everyone’s life. Jai Mata Di.”

Sharadiya Navratri is a vibrant and sacred Hindu festival that spans nine nights, celebrating the divine feminine energy embodied by Goddess Durga. Observed in the lunar month of Ashwin, this festival is marked by fervent worship, elaborate rituals, and cultural performances.

As each day is dedicated to a different form of the goddess, symbolising various aspects of strength, compassion, and wisdom, PM Modi added that Monday is dedicated to Maa Shailputri.

“Today, during Navratri, is a special day for the worship and rituals of Maa Shailputri. My wish is that, with the Mata’s affection and blessings, everyone’s life may be filled with good fortune and good health,” he wrote.

During the course of nine days, devotees engage in fasting, singing devotional songs, and participating in traditional dances like Garba and Dandiya, creating a joyful atmosphere.

Meanwhile, later today, the Prime Minister will visit Tripura and perform pooja and darshan, and inaugurate the development work of ‘Mata Tripura Sundari Temple Complex’ at Matabari.

He will be on a visit to Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura, where he will lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 5,100 crore at Itanagar. He will also address a public meeting. (ANI)