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(IANS)

NEW DELHI, May 23: The special additional excise duty (SAED) cut on petrol and diesel on March 27, 2026 resulted in approximately Rs 30,000 crore cost for the central exchequer in the current fiscal year, and the pass-through of higher crude was not made to the consumer; it was absorbed by the exchequer.

Amid the Strait of Hormuz disruption, the SAED cut reduced petrol excise to three rupees a litre and took diesel excise to zero.

The Congress argues that petrol cost roughly Rs 71 a litre in May 2014 and costs roughly Rs 98 a litre today and presents the difference as evidence of overtaxation.

According to sources, the argument depends entirely on what one thinks the May 2014 number actually represented. It was not the cost of supplying a litre of petrol. It was the price that resulted after the UPA had issued approximately Rs 1.34 lakh crore in oil bonds to public sector oil marketing companies in lieu of price pass-through, between 2005 and 2010.

deferred tax invoice on the next generation of consumers. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi government has been redeeming those bonds: roughly Rs 10,000 crore in FY 2021–22, Rs 31,150 crore in FY 2023–24, Rs 52,860 crore in FY 2024–25, and Rs 36,913 crore in FY 2025–26, alongside cumulative interest running into the tens of thousands of crores.

The price which the Congress nostalgically quotes was being paid by the present government, on behalf of the previous one, until very recently.

The mechanism the present government has used to absorb a price shock is different in kind, according to sources.

When crude rose in 2022 and again in 2026, the central excise duty on petrol and diesel was cut.

The reduction was direct, transparent, on-budget, and visible at the pump within a day. The exchequer accepted the loss of revenue. No bond was issued; no obligation was deferred; no future taxpayer was committed to repaying anything, said sources.

NEW DELHI, May 23: India and Boeing on Saturday held discussions on strengthening cooperation in aviation and aerospace manufacturing, focusing on opportunities in maintenance, repair and over-haul (MRO), skilling, supply chain development, innova-tion and expanding India’s role as a global manufacturing and engineering hub under the Make in India initiative.

Taking to the social media platform X, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, said that the de-liberations took place between him and a delegation led by Jeff Shockey, Executive Vice President, Government Op-erations, Global Public Policy & Corporate Strategy at Boeing.

“Held constructive dis-cussions with Jeff Shockey, Executive Vice President, Government Operations, Global Public Policy & Corporate Strategy at Boeing, and the accompanying delega-tion on advancing India-US cooperation in aviation and aerospace manufacturing,” he wrote.

The talks underscored efforts to deepen India-US collaboration in the aviation sector and enhance India’s po-sition in the global aerospace value chain.

“Deliberations focused on MRO opportunities, skilling, supply chains, innovation and India’s growing role as a trusted global manufacturing & engineering hub under the Make in India vision,” ac-cording to him.

Earlier in May, the United States approved two possible Foreign Military Sales to India worth a combined $428.2 million, covering sustainment support for Apache helicop-ters and M777A2 ultra-light howitzers.

The proposed assistance includes ancillary items, spare parts, repair and return services, training, technical assistance, field service rep-resentatives, depot capability and broader logistics and pro-gram support. The principal contractor for the package is BAE Systems.

In a separate notification, Washington approved a $198.2 million deal linked to AH-64E Apache helicopters. The pack-age includes sustainment sup-port services, engineering and technical assistance, logistics support, training, technical data and publications. Boeing and Lockheed Martin have been named as principal con-tractors for the Apache-related support. (Agencies)

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Agencies

NEW DELHI, May 23: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said he will lead a business delegation of over 150 members to Canada on May 25-27 to seek investments, enhance collaborations and give impetus to talks for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA).

He said that a series of meetings is in the pipeline with leaders and businesses in Ottawa and Toronto. (PTI)

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(Contd from P-1) This important step will benefit students, ease challenges for schools, support language teachers, and strengthen the preservation of Meghalaya’s rich linguistic heritage. More than a milestone, this reflects our shared commitment to an inclusive educa-tion system that respects every linguistic identity,” he further wrote.

Meanwhile, with the revision now reflected in the board’s official portal, over 100 CBSE-affiliated schools across Meghalaya will be eligible to offer Khasi or Garo within the approved language basket. CBSE has directed affiliated schools to update details on the OASIS portal as part of the rollout of the new policy framework.

The inclusion is expected to provide greater institutional recognition to Khasi and Garo languages within the national school education system, while strengthening efforts to pro-mote mother-tongue learning in Meghalaya. It is also likely to support broader initiatives aimed at preserving and encouraging the use of indigenous tribal languages among younger generations.

In Meghalaya, the move is being viewed as an important academic and cultural recognition of the state’s native languages within the country’s mainstream education structure.

(Contd from P-3) decided to upgrade its capacity after identifying the site’s higher potential.

The expansion follows a technical validation by IIT Roorkee, which submitted an evaluation report last year supporting the feasibility of increasing the project’s output from 3 MW to 6 MW.

PTI: KANPUR, May 23: Officials of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Saturday met the Kanpur police commissioner seeking action in a case of alleged medical negligence at a private hospital that resulted in the amputation of one hand of an ITBP jawan’s mother.

The presence of armed personnel at the Commissionerate led to reports claiming that ITBP jawans had “surrounded” the police commissioner’s office, but police and the ITBP categorically denied the “rumours” and said a prior appointment had been taken for the meeting.

The jawan, Vikas Singh, who alleged that police failed to take action on his repeated complaints against the hospital, had taken the amputated hand to the commissioner’s office on Monday.

Following the meeting on Saturday, Commissioner Raghubir Lal directed the formation of a joint investigation committee comprising police officers, ITBP medical officers and doctors nominated by the chief medical officer (CMO) in the case.

Vikas Singh, posted with the ITBP’s 32nd Battalion in Maharajpur, accused doctors at Krishna Super Speciality Hospital, a private facility, of negligence in the treatment of his 56-year-old mother, Nirmala Devi.

Singh told police that his mother was admitted to the Krishna hospital on May 13 after suffering breathing complications.

He alleged that an injection administered during treatment caused severe swelling and infection in her right hand. She was later shifted to the Paras Hospital, another private entity, where doctors reportedly informed the family that the infection had spread extensively, leaving amputation as the only option.

Her hand was amputated on May 17.

On Monday, Singh, in a complaint to the police commissioner, sought action against the hospital administration, alleging that despite repeated visits to the offices of senior police officers, no concrete action had been taken.

He also took the amputated right hand of his mother, kept in an ice box, and placed it on the table of the police commissioner.

The ITBP jawan, who broke down in tears, said that this was the hand with which his mother used to feed him, police said.

On Saturday morning, senior ITBP officers, along with dozens of personnel, arrived at the Commissionerate.

Commissioner Lal told PTI, “ITBP Commandant Gaurav Prasad had sought prior appointment and visited the office peacefully along with three officers and around a dozen personnel.

“The commandant came inside the office while the jawans remained outside. Rumours about the Commissionerate being surrounded or occupied were completely baseless.”

He added that the atmosphere remained peaceful throughout. (PTI)

ANI

Consuming large amounts of junk food early in life may cause lasting changes in the brain, even if a person later adopts a healthier diet. Scientists discovered that diets high in fat and sugar altered eating habits and affected brain regions responsible for controlling appetite.

However, some beneficial gut bacteria and prebiotic fibres showed potential in reversing part of these effects. According to a new study from University College Cork (UCC), Children who regularly eat high-fat, high-sugar foods may experience lasting changes in the brain that continue long after their diets improve.

Researchers also found that beneficial gut bacteria and prebiotic fibres could help reduce some of these long-term effects and support healthier eating behaviours later in life.

Scientists at APC Microbiome, a leading research centre based at UCC, discov-ered that unhealthy diets dur-ing early life can alter how the brain controls appetite and feeding.

These changes persisted even after the unhealthy diet ended and body weight returned to normal.

Today’s children are sur-rounded by highly processed foods that are heavily mar-keted and easy to access.

Sugary and fatty foods have become common at birthday parties, school events, sports activities, and even as rewards for good behaviour.

Researchers say this con-stant exposure may shape food preferences from an early age and encourage eat-ing habits that continue into adulthood.

The study, which was published in Nature Com-munications, found that early exposure to calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods can leave lasting effects on feeding behaviour.

Researchers used a pre-clinical mouse model and found that animals exposed to a high-fat, high-sugar diet early in life showed persistent changes in eating behaviour as adults.

The team linked these behavioural effects to disrup-tions in the hypothalamus, a brain region responsible for regulating appetite and energy balance.

The research also explored whether targeting the gut mi-crobiome could help counter these effects.

Scienwtists tested a bene-ficial bacterial strain (Bifido-bacterium longum APC1472) along with prebiotic fibres (fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and galacto-oligosac-charides (GOS), naturally present in foods such as on-ions, garlic, leeks, asparagus and bananas, and widely available in fortified foods (and prebiotic supplements).

According to the findings, both approaches showed po-tential benefits when given throughout life.

Gut bacteria may help restore healthy eating patterns

“Our findings show that what we eat early in life re-ally matters,” said Dr. Cris-tina Cuesta-Marti, first author of the study.

“Early dietary exposure may leave hidden, long-term effects on feeding behaviour that are not immediately vis-ible through weight alone,” added Dr Cristina Cuesta-Marti.

Researchers found that unhealthy diets early in life disrupted brain pathways linked to feeding behaviour, with effects continuing into adulthood.

The findings suggest this could raise the risk of obesity later in life. Scientists also found that modifying the gut microbiota helped reduce these long-term effects.

The probiotic strain Bifidobacterium longum APC1472 significantly im-proved feeding behaviour while causing only minor changes to the overall micro-biome, suggesting a highly targeted effect.

Meanwhile, the prebiotic combination (FOS+GOS) produced broader changes across the gut microbiome. (ANI)

PTI

NEW DELHI, May 23: The country’s exports have recorded healthy growth during the first three weeks of May, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday.

He also said that while the world is going through a turmoil, India is relentlessly rising on global stage as it is recording health growth in exports and foreign direct investment (FDI).

“I have seen the numbers of exports even in the last three weeks. The pace of growth which we witnessed in April continues into May. We have been able to demonstrate resilience in the face of so many adversities,” he told reporters here.

Exports rose by 13.78 per cent to USD 43.56 billion in April, the highest monthly outbound shipments in more than four years, driven by petroleum products amid a surge in crude oil prices, but trade deficit widened to a three-month high of USD 28.38 billion due to an uptick in imports.

The minister said that FDI during 2025-26 has touched an all time high of USD 95 billion, an increase of 17 percent year on year.

This growth, he said, will continue in the years to come given the favour that India enjoys amongst global investors as a preferred invest- ment destination.

“The government has absorbed significant amounts of costs, particularly for the farmers in terms of elevated fertiliser prices, which have not been passed on to farmers, but the burden has been taken fully by the central govern- ment,” he added.

He said that the government is also continu- ally introducing initiatives to support economic growth.

For May, the commerce ministry will of- ficially release the export and import data on June 15.

The high growth in FDI reflects global investors’ appetite for India.

Talking about the semiconductor sector, he said that Tata and ASML have joined hands to set up a plant in Dholera, Gujarat, which is a big achievement in itself.

“Because I still remember, when the semicon mission was launched 3 years ago, then ASML was hesitating. And there is no chip that can be made without ASML equipment. It is a compulsion that you need ASML equipment. So you see, what a big change in 3 years. From no to yes,” Goyal said.

ASML is known for having a monopoly in a category of lithography equipment, which is critical for the production of advanced small-sized semicon- ductors.

Electronics manufacturing com- pany Tata Electronics and Dutch semiconductor equipment major ASML have joined hands to enable chip manufactur- ing in India.

He informed that the ministry has held an inter-ministerial meeting with industry associations on ways to boost domestic manu- facturing.

The ministry has received suggestions from sectors such as capital goods, optical fibres and chemicals.

In the meeting, he said the ministry has shared import data and data on sectors with export potential.

“We will put data in the public domain also… as opportunity will pull investment,” he said, adding that from time to time, plans are made to provide incentives to different sectors as per their needs. (PTI)