India News | Modi Makes It Rain Crores in Bihar (Votes they hope)
Your daily essential | 16 September 2025 | 112th Edition
Good morning. It's Tuesday, and the government has graciously granted the nation a whole extra 24 hours to battle its tax portal, which decided to have a lie-down on the most important day of its year. How very generous. While the country’s accountants collectively try to restart their hearts, let's make some sense of the rest of the glorious, predictable chaos.
Absolutely Essential to Know 🚨:
SC Hits Pause on Parts of New Waqf Act
Maharashtra Rolls Out First Statewide Hoarding Policy
Adani Group banned entry of EU, UK, and US-sanctioned vessels at its 14 ports
And many more, read on…
Btw, here’s some music to accompany your read today. Hope you enjoy.
"Mounam Swaramayi" beautifully articulates the idea that silence can transform into a melody, and absence can reveal a profound presence.
Our structure is simple:
The blue blocks are quick factual summaries.
Click "🔗" for a randomly selected source article from the many sources we referred.
Also, all our images are not an original work of our journalists, but are sourced from elsewhere.
⚖️ SC Hits Pause on Parts of New Waqf Act
Supreme Court issues interim order; refuses to stay entire Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025.
Suspends key provisions including the ‘five-year Islam practice’ rule until a mechanism is framed.
Collector’s power to de-notify property during an inquiry is also paused.
Upholds prospective ban on ‘waqf by user’.
The Deeper Take: The Court just sent the government's homework back with red ink all over it. It's not a rejection, but a firm "try again, and this time, respect the separation of powers." A classic judicial check on legislative haste.
🚢 Sanctioned Russian Oil Tanker Diverted from Adani Port
Russian oil tanker Noble Walker changes course from Mundra to Vadinar port.
Rerouted after Adani Group banned entry of EU, UK, and US-sanctioned vessels at its 14 ports last week.
A major private firm is now effectively enforcing Western sanctions on Indian shores.
The Bottom Line: When a corporation starts doing the foreign ministry's job, you know things are complicated. This isn't just a shipping update; it's a sign that corporate risk management is now a major force in Indian foreign policy.
💻 Tax Portal Glitches, ITR Deadline Extended by a Day
Income Tax Department extends ITR filing deadline by one day to 16 September.
Extension follows widespread complaints from users about glitches on the e-filing portal.
Over 7 crore returns had been filed before the last-minute announcement.
The Context: The annual Indian tradition where the nation's digital ambitions meet the harsh reality of a crashing server. Some things, it seems, never change.
🏙️ Maharashtra Rolls Out First Statewide Hoarding Policy
Maharashtra introduces its first comprehensive, statewide policy for outdoor advertising hoardings.
Aims to regulate hoardings on government land through e-auctions.
Designed to boost non-tax revenue, create regulatory uniformity, and generate employment.
Political hoardings will be barred during election periods.
Why It Matters: A plan to monetise every spare bit of government land. Expect a visual feast of advertisements and, let's be honest, political faces—except during the brief, mandated quiet periods.
🏗️ PM Modi Makes It Rain Crores in Bihar (Votes they hope)
Development projects worth approximately ₹40,000 crore launched in Purnea.
Initiatives include a new airport terminal, a thermal power plant, and new rail lines.
The National Makhana Board was also established to support local fox nut farmers.
The Kosi-Mechi River Link Project's first phase was also initiated.
Why It Matters: Can anyone tell elections are scheduled in Bihar soon? This isn't just development; it's 'electionomics' in its purest form. Aiming a firehose of cash and infrastructure projects at a key state just before polls is a classic, and usually effective, way to win hearts, minds, and, most importantly, votes. Why do politicians and political parties only wake up months before an election?
🕵️ LeT Allegedly Rebuilds HQ Under 'Flood Relief' Guise
Security agencies report that Lashkar-e-Taiba is rebuilding its Muridke headquarters in Pakistan.
The reconstruction is allegedly being carried out under the guise of "flood relief" efforts.
This suggests the group is exploiting humanitarian crises to further its own agenda.
The Unseen Story: If the reports are true, it proves once again that for some organisations, no tragedy is too great to exploit for their own nefarious ends. If it isn’t, we urge you to be careful around headlines made to justify potential acts and rile up a voter base before elections.
🚝 Mumbai Monorail Grinds to a Halt, Again, Stranding 17
A technical glitch caused a Mumbai Monorail train to break down.
Seventeen passengers were left stranded and had to be rescued safely.
The incident caused disruptions to the service.
The Bigger Picture: Mumbai's futuristic-looking monorail continues its long-standing tradition of being more of a spectacle than a piece of reliable public transport.
🚧 Bengaluru Pledges ₹1,100 Crore to Fix Pothole Menace
The Karnataka government has allocated ₹1,100 crore to improve roads in Bengaluru.
The decision follows a recent school bus accident that highlighted the dangers posed by potholes.
The funds are aimed at enhancing road safety across the city.
The Context: It took a school bus accident to get the funds flowing. This is a classic example of Bengaluru's infrastructure plan: reactive, not proactive.
📈 India Sells More, Buys Less, Than last Year. Feels a Bit Better
Merchandise exports grew by 6.7% year-on-year in August to $35.1 billion.
Imports fell by 10.12% to $61.59 billion during the same period.
The trade deficit for the month narrowed significantly to $26.49 billion.
The Deeper Take: A rare bit of good news for the bean counters. It seems we're managing to flog more of our stuff abroad while tightening our collective belts at home. In this economy, any small win feels like a lottery jackpot.
🚭 Haryana Bans Tobacco Sales Near Schools
The Haryana government has banned the sale of tobacco and other intoxicating substances.
The ban applies to the area within a 100-yard radius of any school.
The move is aimed at protecting the health of students.
The Deeper Take: A sensible move to protect children. The real challenge, however, are twofold: one will be enforcing a 100-yard invisible wall of virtue around every single school in the state, and second, combating the sale beyond the 100-yard radius.
📺 Doordarshan Turns 66, Still Has a Better Theme Tune Than Netflix
India's public service broadcaster, Doordarshan, celebrated its 66th foundation day.
It marks a long journey from its inception as an experimental service in 1959.
A special cultural event, "Shabdanjali: DD@66," was held in New Delhi to mark the occasion.
The broadcaster highlighted its recent digital innovations, including its Waves OTT platform.
The Big Picture: A nostalgic nod to the OG of Indian television. Before streaming wars and endless scrolling, there was just the one channel, the Sunday evening movie, and that iconic spinning logo. And honestly, life was probably simpler.
🤳 Vlogger's Viral Video Gets Bengaluru Pavements Cleaned
A video by a Canadian vlogger highlighting neglected pavements in Bengaluru went viral.
The video prompted swift action from the city's civic authorities.
The concerned areas were cleaned up shortly after the video gained traction online.
The Modern Reality: In today's India, the quickest way to get a civic issue fixed isn't a complaint form, it's a viral video. Citizen journalism for the win. Maybe that’s what we should have done too; why are we here trying to reform the news cycles.
Global News
🇷🇺 Russia's War Games on NATO's Doorstep Rattle Nerves
Russia and Belarus are conducting their 'Zapad-2025' joint military drills.
Billed as a defensive response to a notional NATO invasion, the exercises have alarmed European nations.
Poland has responded by deploying up to 40,000 soldiers to its border.
The Context: It's Russia's favourite pastime: flexing muscles it can't really afford to use right now. This is less about a genuine threat and more about reminding Europe that even a wounded bear can still growl.
📱 US and China Reach 'Framework' for TikTok Deal
The US Treasury Secretary has announced a "framework" of a deal with China regarding TikTok.
No specific details of the agreement have been released.
A call between President Trump and Xi Jinping is scheduled for Friday.
The Deeper Take: The deal is a "framework," which in diplomatic speak means they've agreed to keep talking without throwing things at each other. Progress, of a sort.
💻 China Accuses US Chip Giant Nvidia of Antitrust Breach
Chinese regulators have accused US chipmaker Nvidia of violating antimonopoly laws.
The accusation is related to an unspecified acquisition by the company.
This marks another escalation in the ongoing tech tensions between the two superpowers.
Why It Matters: The global tech war's latest battlefield: antitrust law. It's a much more polite and bureaucratic way of kneecapping your rival's biggest company.
Stay sharp,
The OneRead Team
P.S. Like what you're reading? Share it with a friend. They might finally start talking some sense.