03082025-TT-01.qxd 8/2/2025 JAISWAL’S HUNDRED PUTS INDIA ON TOP SPORT /thetribunechd 10:44 PM Page 1 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 213 | 20 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 HIMACHAL PRADESH sunday | 3 august 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Indian economy set to be Trump claims India not buying Russian oil; 3rd-largest: PM counters Delhi disagrees, says won’t yield to pressure US President’s ‘dead’ jibe Kuldeep Singh Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India was on course to becoming the world’s third-largest economy and on the policy front, national interest was paramount. Speaking publicly for the first time since US President Donald Trump called the Indian economy “dead” and slapped 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on imports starting August 7, Modi said the country’s economy was robust. “The global economy is currently facing multiple uncertainties. In such a scenario, nations across the world are focusing on their own interests. India is on the path to becoming the world’s thirdlargest economy. Therefore, we must remain vigilant about our economic interest. The welfare of farmers and small industries is paramount and the government is making every possible effort in this direction,” he said. The remarks came at a time when the India-US trade talks are believed to be stuck due to the government’s insistence on protecting the farm sector. Addressing a gathering after unveiling development projects worth Rs 2,200 crore continued on page 6 New Delhi, August 2 India’s oil refiners have not halted purchase of Russian oil, a government official clarified, countering US President Donald Trump’s claim that India has stopped buying oil from Russia. The official said India would not yield to external pressure and would continue sourcing oil from suppliers, including Russia, offering the most competitive prices. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry is closely tracking developments related to the 25 per cent US tariffs set to take effect on August 7 as well as ISTOCK Tribune News Service Attacks Cong, SP for mocking Operation Sindoor 30% CRUDE SOURCED FROM MOSCOW IN 2024 ■ India, world’s third-largest oil importer, sourced over 30% of crude from Russia in 2024, a sharp rise from just 0.2% before the Ukraine war ■ Sources say India prioritises cost over geopolitics; buys discounted Russian oil despite US pressure ■ Decision largely based on business interests, weighing factors such as cost, logistics and market dynamics potential penalties on India’s trade with Russia, particularly in oil and defence equipment. The ministry is in discussions with state-run oil marketing companies such as Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation. These companies will make decisions based on business interests, weighing factors like cost, logistics and market dynamics, the official said. India, the world’s thirdlargest oil importer, depends on imports for around 88 per cent of its crude oil needs. Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022, Russia has become India’s leading oil supplier, contributing over 30 per cent of its crude imports in 2024, a sharp rise from just 0.2 per cent before the war. This shift was driven by steep discounts on Russian continued on page 6 Primewitnesstobe cross-examinedvia videolinkinderacase Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers spectacles to a visually challenged beneficiary during a public meeting in Varanasi on Saturday. PTI BRAHMOS BEING MADE IN UP, MODI WARNS PAK PM Modi said the power of locally developed missiles, drones and air defence systems was on full display during Op Sindoor. “BrahMos missile instilled such fear in the enemy that people in Pakistan can’t sleep peacefully even today.” Expressing pride as an MP from UP, he said BrahMos would soon be manufactured in Lucknow. JAITLEY THREATENED ME, SAYS RAHUL BACK PAGE 4 Bihar dists with high Muslim count in top10 that saw maximum voterdeletions Chandigarh, August 2 CBI Special Magistrate Anil Kumar Yadav today allowed the cross-examination of the main witness through videoconferencing in a case related to mass castration of followers involving Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and two doctors. The witness, currently based in the US, had in an application moved by his counsel requested his crossexamination via video-conferencing citing danger to his life if he appeared physically in the court. INSIDE Animesh Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 2 Bihar’s Madhubani, East Champaran, Purnia and Sitamarhi districts that have a significant Muslim population are among the 10 districts that saw the highest voter deletions in the draft electoral rolls released by the Election Commission on August 1 after the completion of the first phase of the special intensive revision (SIR). The development comes amid the Opposition’s allegations that the SIR was aimed at excluding migrant, Today’s issue is of 20 pages, including six-page Spectrum. ROLL REVISION FALLOUT District Madhubani East Champaran Purnia Sitamarhi Voters out Muslims 3,52,545 18% 3,16,793 19% 2,73,920 39% 2,44,962 22% NAME MISSING, CLAIMS TEJASHWI; EC HITS BACK INSIDE Muslim, Dalit and poor voters from the poll rolls. Of the four districts, Madhubani saw the highest number of 3,52,545 unreturned enumeration forms, according to the EC data. The dis- trict had 18 per cent Muslim population, as per the 2011 Census. East Champaran, with 19 per cent Muslims, stood second with 3,16,793 unreturned forms, followed by Purnia (39 per cent Muslims) with 2,73,920 forms and Sitamarhi (22 per cent Muslims) with 2,44,962 forms. The non-receipt of enumeration forms suggests a voter’s exclusion from the rolls. The other districts among the top 10 with maximum deletions are Patna (3,95,500), Gopalganj (3,10,363), Samastipur (2,83,955), continued on page 6 Prajwal Revanna, JD(S) ex-MP, gets life term for rape Bengaluru, August 2 A special court here on Saturday sentenced to life imprisonment former MP and suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna in a rape case. Special Court for MPs/MLAs Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Revanna, the grandson of former PM and JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda. The court had on Friday convicted the 34-yearold in one of the four sexual abuse and rape cases registered against him and reserved the sentencing for Saturday. The case pertains to a 48-year-old woman who was working as a help at the family’s Gannikada continued on page 6 Two terrorists killed in Kulgam gunfight SRINAGAR: Two terrorists were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Saturday, officials said. The police said the gunfight began on Friday after the police’s special operations group, the Army and Central forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Akhal area. This is the second encounter in Kashmir this week. INSIDE
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).
