DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2025, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `7.00 (`8 RAIPUR, `15 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 PM’S LONGEST INDEPENDENCE DAY ADDRESS Callingforself-reliance,Modipromises reforms,warnsagainstinfiltrationthreat PM hails the RSS, says he will stand like a wall to protect farmer, dairy interests WHAT THE PM ANNOUNCED HARIKISHAN SHARMA & MANOJ C G NEW DELHI, AUGUST 15 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY AANCHAL MAGAZINE NEW DELHI, AUGUST 15 TARGETING TO push through next-generation reforms in the Goods and Services Tax regime before Diwali in October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday the lower tax burden will be a Diwali gift to the common man, small entrepreneurs and MSMEs. These reforms are expected toboostconsumptionastheGST rates on goods such as refrigerators, air conditioners and packaged and branded food items like fruit juices, butter, cheese, condensed milk, nuts, dates and sausages, and medical items including medical grade oxygen, gauze, bandages, diagnostic kits are likely to be cut. “This would enhance CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E ● Simple structure, less burden DOING AWAY with multiple rates will ease compliance and lower tax burden on common people. The complexity of GST structure has made its administration unwieldy. Demography Mission: An idea that aligns with BJP and RSS narratives DEEPTIMAN TIWARY NEW DELHI, AUGUST 15 PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi’s Independence Day announcement on Friday that his government will set up a Demography Mission to study population changes hasbrought into sharp focus the long-held concerns of the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS, over demographic shifts in the country. “When demographic change happens, especially in border areas, it creates a crisis for national security… a challenge for unity, integrity and progress... So today, fromtherampartsoftheRedFort, Iwanttosaythatwehavedecided to start a high-powered demog- raphy mission… Yeh mission tay samaymein,suvicharit,nischitroop se, apne karya ko karega. Us disha meinhumaagebadrahehain(This missionwillaccomplishitstaskin CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘TROUBLING’: OPP HITS OUT AT PM’S RSS REMARKS PAGE 11 DEATH TOLL CLIMBS TO 65, RESCUE WORK UNDERWAY ‘All over within minutes’: Survivors recall Kishtwar flash flood horror ARUN SHARMA & BASHAARAT MASOOD JAMMU, SRINAGAR, AUGUST 15 THE WORLD ALL EYES ON TRUMP, PUTIN MEETING IN ALASKA PAGE 12 IT WAS a loud clap of thunder that alerted Pradeep Singh, sitting inside his makeshift dhaba in Kishtwar’s Paddar. He looked up to see a dust storm coming andimmediately ranfor cover— just in the nick of time. Within minutes, the place — around9kmfromthemainMata Machail temple — was covered CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Rescue work in the affected area in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. PTI RELATEDREPORT,PAGE7 In British Chess Championships, a British-Indian bloom of prodigies PAGE 1 ANCHOR AMIT KAMATH MUMBAI, AUGUST 15 IN THE recently concluded national championships, two brothers Amandeep Singh and Adamjeet Singh returned home with seven podium finishes between them. While seven-yearold Amandeep claimed twin titles in the Under-8 Rapidplay and Under-8 Blitz Championships, besides two more top-three finishes, the BASHAARAT MASOOD SRINAGAR, AUGUST 15 IN ONE of his sharpest remarks on the non-restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said thedual governancesystem in place is structured “not for success” but “for failure” and, for the first time, talked about his government’s decisions that are stuck with the Raj Bhavan. GivinghisfirstIndependence DayspeechafterreturningasCM, atBakshiStadiumhere,Abdullah announcedasignaturecampaign seeking the return of statehood toJ&K,whilequestioningthedelayindoingso.Hewasbeginning to lose hope on this after multiple reassurances, he said. Traditionally, militancy had J&K CM Omar Abdullah at Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium on Independence Day. PTI declined under elected governments in J&K, he said, adding: “Today we are told that the elected government can't be trusted to handle the situation here.”Hearingapetitionseeking CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 A sarpanch poll fight Next-gen GST reforms by Diwali, Sudarshan Chakra shield, settled after 3 yrs, via says PM; just two rates: 5% & 18% thrust on own jet engine EVM recount in SC PM Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day. Praveen Khanna EXPLAINED IN HIS Independence Day address that held out promises of changeand reformandreflected his ideological beliefs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday highlighted the “threat” of infiltration or illegal immigration and announced a mission to check “demographic change”, flagged self-reliance as the path to development and prosperity while urging the youth to come forward withinnovative ideas to power the change. He signalled hisintenttostanduplike“awall” to protect the interests of farmersandfishermenamidthestuttering trade talks with the US, andannouncedthataDiwalibonanza for the people was in the offingintheformof GSTreforms and rate cuts. Modi’s 103-minute address, his12thfromtherampartsof the Red Fort and the longest so far, also saw him lavishing fulsome praiseof theRSS.WiththeSangh set to celebrate its 100 years, the PrimeMinisterhaileditsjourney and talked about its nationbuildingefforts,serviceanddedication, remarks that drew criticism from the Opposition parties, especially the Congress whichcalledit“most-troubling”. Amid the shadow of the USimposed tariffs which could impacttheeconomy, Modiputalot of stress on self-reliance in all spheres – from defence, space sector, critical minerals, energy, semiconductors to fertiliser, pharmaceutical production and from operating systems to cyber security,deeptechtoartificialintelligence – saying “the bedrock of a ViksitBharat is alsoa self-reliant Bharat” and “the greater a nation’s reliance on others, the more its freedom comes into question”. He asked influencers EXPANDING nuclear energy capacity 10-fold by 2047 `1 LAKH CRORE employment plan for youths GST REFORMS to bring down tax burden TASK FORCE for nextgeneration reforms LAUNCH of Mission Sudarshan Chakra HIGH-POWERED Demography Mission SELF-RELIANCE in jet engine NATIONAL Deepwater Exploration Mission EMPHASIS on Swadeshi Losing hope on statehood… This dual system built for failure: Omar Bodhana Sivanandan, 10, became the youngest girl to beat a grandmaster during the British Chess Championships in Liverpool last week. Yuri Krylov/English Chess Federation older sibling, Adamjeet, ended joint top in the Under-10 Rapidplay Championship besides a podium finish in the Under-10 Championship. This could have been the result from the Indian national championship, but it isn’t. Amandeep and Adamjeet have been making waves in the British Chess Championships. They weren’t the only ones. There were as many as 20 Indian-origin British children — or British Indians, as they are known — who ended up among the top three finishers at the British Chess Championships, CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 PAGE10 AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA NEW DELHI, AUGUST 15 WEEKS AFTER Indian air defences successfully intercepted Pakistani missiles and drones during the hostilities that followed Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday announced the launch of Mission Sudarshan Chakra. It is learnt to be an advanced, multi-tiered air defence system, aimed at creating a nationwide security shield to thwart enemy attacks across domains and strengthen the country’s deterrent and offensive capabilities. In his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi drew an analogy between the initiative and the legendary Sudarshan Chakra of Lord Krishna, recalling how it was deployed during the Mahabharat to block the Sun’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SUKHBIR SIWACH CHANDIGARH, AUGUST 15 AMIDSTTHEdinfromParliament to courts as the government and Opposition fight it out over alleged electoral discrepancies, Mohit Kumar’s small achievement raised barely a ripple. On Thursday, the 27-year-old officiallytookoathasthesarpanch CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Mohit Kumar after taking oath as sarpanch, Thursday