DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2025, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 22 PAGES U.S. NEGOTIATORS EXPECTED IN DELHI LATER THIS MONTH TrumpdoublesIndiatariffto 50%,opens21-daywindow Unreasonable, unjustified, unfair: India hits back at Trump tariff US tariff on India highest among countries; puts world on notice over Russian oil RAVI DUTTA MISHRA & SUKALP SHARMA DIVYA A & SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, AUGUST 6 RAMPING UP pressure ahead of the expected arrival in India of US trade negotiators on August 25, President Donald Trump Wednesday doubled the tariffs on India to 50 per cent, but openeda21-daywindowbefore the additional tariff of 25 per cent kicks in. A White House statement said the US will impose “additional 25 per cent ad valorem duty” above the 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs announced on August 1 to “deal with the national emergency stemming from Russia’s actions in Ukraine”. This tariff is deemed necessary and appropriate due to India’s “direct or indirect import of Russian Federation oil”, which the President judges will more effectively address the national emergency, the executive order said. The additional tariff dramatically raises pressure on India as most of its competitors such as Vietnam, Bangladesh and now NEW DELHI, AUGUST 6 INDIA ON Wednesday hit back at the United States for doubling the tariff to 50 per cent, reiterating that the action was “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”. The government said it would take “all actions necessary” to “protect its national interests”. “The United States has in recent days targeted India's oil imports from Russia. We have alreadymadeclearourpositionon these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said in a statement on Wednesday evening. “It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also President Donald Trump shouts to reporters as he surveys the grounds from the roof above the Colonnade that goes to the West Wing of the White House, Tuesday. AP INDIA, BRAZIL HEAD U.S. TARIFF LIST INSIDE COUNTRIES RATES INDIA 50% Brazil 50% Myanmar 40% Switzerland China 39% 30% IN INDIA TARIFF, TRUMP SIGNAL TO OTHER IMPORTERS OF RUSSIAN OIL RAHUL: ECONOMIC BLACKMAIL, BID TO BULLY INDIA PAGES 17, 8 Source: White House CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 RBI Governor: Reduced Russia oil purchase won’t impact inflation SIDDHARTH UPASANI NEW DELHI, AUGUST 6 PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Kartavya Bhavan, which will house offices of ministries, on Wednesday. PTI REPORT,PAGE9 PM likely to be in China for SCO meet, his first visit in 7 yrs SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, AUGUST 6 PREPARATIONS ARE underway to schedule a visit by Prime MinisterNarendraModitoChina where leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation will gather for the Summit in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, sources said Wednesday. On the sidelines of the Summit, if the visit materialises, Modi is also expected to hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a meeting that will take place amid rising tensions with the US over trade tariffsandpurchaseofRussianoil. The two leaders last met on October23,2024onthemargins of the BRICS Summit in the Russiancity of Kazan,settingthe stage for the disengagement of troops at two friction points along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh and resumption of patrolling. The Prime Minister’s visit, which sources said is still being planned, will be his first to China in seven years – the last visit was in 2018. The military standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020 following Chinese incursions. The disengagement process was completed in November 2024, days CONTINUEDONPAGE2 `7.00 (`8 RAIPUR, `15 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 THERESERVEBankof India(RBI) seesnomajorimpactondomestic inflation if India reduces its purchases of oil from Russia amid US President Donald Trump’s threats of a “penalty” and announcement slapping a combinedtariff of 50percenton India. Speaking to reporters Wednesday at the conclusion of the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) three-day meeting — hours before Trump slapped another 25 per cent tariff on India — RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said it was important to keep in mind that India did not buy oil only from Russia. “It’s not only Russian oil that we are taking; we are taking oil frommanyothercountries.If the mix changes, what is its impact on prices, what is the global commodity prices of crude, it will depend on all that. And the other thing it will depend on is how much of its impact, downwards or upwards, is actually taken by the government in the ECONOMY RBI HOLDS REPO RATE AT 5.5%, RETAINS FY26 GDP GROWTH AT 6.5% PAGE 17 EXPRESS INVESTIGATION: TELANGANA ‘SNOOPING’ - PART 1 Top-secret letters by telecom providers blew lid off ‘illegal surveillance’ during BRS regime NIKHILA HENRY HYDERABAD, AUGUST 6 ONDECEMBER6,2023,aroutine letter from a telecom service provider reached Telangana’s Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) officeinHyderabad.Calledareconciliation letter in official parlance, it was marked ‘top secret’ andaddressedtothethenDIGof SIB. Just three days earlier, a new government had stormed to power in the state, with the Congress led by Revanth Reddy ousting K Chandrashekar Rao’s BRS. The letter asked whether the service provider, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, should continuelegalinterceptionorsurveillance of a set of phone numbers. According to the letter, the numbers, included as an attachment, were under legal interception from November 16 to November 30, 2023 — the fortnight leading up to Assembly elections. Reconciliationlettersaresent when the 15-day window of legalsurveillance—orsurveillance done in the interest of the state — expires and service providers need re-authorisation for another 15 days. Thisletter, andsimilar reconciliation letters for the same number of days sent by wellknown private and public service providers to the SIB office, form the foundation of Telangana’s case against five top police and intelligence officers and a TV channel operator, who are accused of indulging in the illegal surveillance of 600 individuals — using the state’s antiNaxal surveillance mechanisms — to benefit the BRS, The Indian Express has learnt. Those allegedly snooped on includedpoliticians,partyworkers, bureaucrats, businessmen, a sitting High Court judge, as well as their spouses, drivers and even childhood friends, accord- BJPTOCONGTOBRS,WHOWASTAPPED? Investigators are learnt to have named 17 people, who were allegedly surveilled illegally, in the chargesheet. The Indian Express spoke to 13 from across parties, many of whom have already deposed before the police EATALARAJENDER RSPRAVEENKUMAR “Iam100% surethatI wasunder surveillance. InTelangana, Iwasthemosttapped politician.MyPA to gunmen,about25to30 people’sphoneswere tapped.Thephonesof my wife,childrenweretapped. Whatsortof peoplewould listentoconversations betweenahusbandand wife?Ihavedeposedthis beforetheSIT.” “I got an alert from Apple that ‘statesponsored hackers’ were trying to access my phone in Dec 2022... did not say which government... I believe no party will ask Intelligence to tap people’s phones. ... could be administrative overreach and those responsible should be brought to book.” FORMER BRS MINISTER WHO IS NOW A BJP MP DHARMAPURIARAVIND IPS OFFICER TURNED BRS LEADER WHO WAS EARLIER HEADING BSP IN TELANGANA BJP MP TEENMARMALLANNA ALIASCNAVEENKUMAR “The entire BRS phonetapping episode is proof of how insecure, paranoid and power-drunk K Chandrashekar Rao and his family were... This is nothing short of political criminality. During that time, I used to repeatedly receive official alerts from Apple warning me that my phone was under targeted surveillance.” “I had a clear suspicion that I was under surveillance because I was a vocal critic of the KCR government. When the police served summons notices, I realised that my suspicion was well-founded. So many people were under surveillance during the previous government’s tenure.” ing to a perusal of official documents and detailed conversations with investigators. A chargesheetin the casewas filed Day after Uttarkashi flash floods, 60 feared missing, search ops on FORMER JOURNALIST, CONGRESS MLC on June 8, 2024. Accordingtoinvestigatorsfamiliar with the probe and the CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Agri a stumbling block in talks, but India-US trade in sector sees surge INDIA, U.S. AGRICULTURE EXPORTS HARISH DAMODARAN NEW DELHI, AUGUST 6 EVEN AS agriculture, along with purchase of Russian oil, has emergedasakeystickingpointin thetradetalksbetweenIndiaand theUnitedStates,here’saninterestingfact:Tradeinfarmproduce between the two countries is actually booming and poised to touch a new record this year. During January-June 2025, India’s imports of agricultural products from the US were, at $1,693.2 million, a whopping Total Exports 2022 2023 2024 THE WORLD Jan-Jun Jan-Jun Growth 2024 2025 in % US 2,348.5 2,040.7 2,378.8 1,135.8 1,693.2 49.1 India 6,658.8 5,811.5 6,211.9 2,798.9 3,472.7 Search and rescue operations underway at Dharali. PTI 24.1 Exports in millions of dollars; Source: US Department of Agriculture 49.1% more than the $1,135.8 million for the same six months of the last calendar year. India’s agricultural exports to the US, too, were up 24.1%, from $2,798.9 million in January-June 2024 to $3,472.7 million in January-June 2025 (see chart). With US President Donald Trumpdoublingthetariff onimport of goods from India to CONTINUEDONPAGE2 AISWARYA RAJ DEHRADUN, AUGUST 6 ONTHEseconddayof rescueoperations at Uttarakhand’s Dharali, carried out primarily by the Army, the search continued for those missing in the after- math of the flash floods, estimated to be over 60, as heavy rainslashedthestateandseveral rivers breached the danger level. Two bodies were recoveredduring the day, and 150 people have been rescued so far. Colonel Harshvardhan, who CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 U.S. ENVOY MEETS PUTIN PAGE 16 In Maharashtra port, ship waits to be sunk, start new life as artificial reef SONAL GUPTA MUMBAI, AUGUST 6 AT THE Vijaydurg port, a natural harbourinMaharashtra’scoastal Sindhudurg district, an 81metre-longpieceof navalhistory lies still against the blue of the Arabian Sea, awaiting its second innings. INS Guldar, a decommissioned Navy warship, will soon be deliberately sunk — or ‘scuttled’ — to breathe new life into its metal bones, transforming it into an artificial reef and an underwater tourist attraction. Though scuttled ships have been used to create artificial reefselsewhereintheworld,this is the first such attempt in India. “The idea behind this project is to develop tourism in Sindhudurg. When the ship is submerged,itwillgraduallyform an underwater reef that attracts various kinds of fish. Once that happens,peoplefromalloverthe world, especially avid scuba divers, will come to the district,” saysanofficialoftheMaharashtra TourismDevelopmentCorporation (MTDC) who is associated with the project. Home to MTDC’s Indian Institute of Scuba Diving and Aquatic Sports (IISDA), Sindhudurg, 120 km from Goa, has been a training centre for scubadivingenthusiastsforover a decade. Had all gone according to plan, INS Guldar would have been scuttled in April. Officials said its scuttling was postponed in view of tensions between IndiaandPakistanafter theApril 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. An official at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, the government-run firm responsible for the scuttling, said the THE PLAN ■ Once submerged, INS Guldar will sit on the seabed, around 15 km off the coast of Sindhudurg ■ Scuba divers will be allowed to dive down to where the ship is: noncertified divers can go to a depth of 12 metres; certified divers up to 18 metres; advanced divers to the deepest part of the ship ■ Non-divers can opt for a submarine ride to view the shipwreck ■ MTDC hopes that in a year or two, an artificial reef will come up at the site E E X P L A I NE D PAGE 1 ANCHOR ● Afirst forIndia THE MAHARASHTRA Tourism Development Corporation hopes to transform INS Guldar into an underwater tourist attraction. Scuttling is usually a wartime tactic involving the deliberate sinking of a vessel — in case of an emergency or to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. process was delayed furtherdue to the early arrival of monsoon in Maharashtra. “Too much wind or rough seas can topple the ship, which means it won’t go down as planned.Wearewaitingforalull in the monsoon (to carry out the scuttling),” the official adds. The ageing INS Guldar, a Kumbhir-class landing ship designed for amphibious warfare and capable of beach landings, was once part of India’s peacekeeping mission in Sri Lanka, combating attacks from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE),theTamilseparatistgroup, across the beaches of Jaffna and Trincomaleeintheislandnation. The plan to acquire a ship for scuttling took off in December 2023, when the MTDC hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, thenMaharashtraChief Minister Eknath Shinde and then Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in Sindhudurg on the occasion of Navy Day. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, who was then the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief,Western Naval Command, was also in attendance. The MTDC is learnt to have asked Admiral Tripathi for a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2