PM Modi in tea garden in Dibrugarh

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visited a tea garden in Assam’s Dibrugarh on Wednesday ahead of two public rallies in the poll-bound state.He described tea as the “soul of Assam”. “Tea is the soul of Assam! Tea from here has reached all over the world.” This morning in Dibrugarh, I visited a tea garden and interacted with the women working here. It was a very memorable experience,” PM Modi wrote on Instagram while sharing photos from the trip. He said, “We are very proud of the efforts of each tea garden family. Their hard work and perseverance have made Assam proud. Here are some more highlights from a tea garden in Dibrugarh.”PM Modi also shared a selfie with women working in tea gardens.According to the Assam state portal, the state produces about 630–700 million kg of tea annually, which is more than half of India’s total production. PM Modi’s rallies in Assam As per his itinerary, the Prime Minister will first address a rally at Gogamukh in Dhemaji at 11 am, followed by a second public meeting in Biswanath district around 1 pm. Senior BJP leaders and state ministers are expected to attend both the programmes. In the first rally, the PM will campaign for BJP candidates Ranoj Pegu and Naba Kumar Dole from Dhemaji and Dhakuakha assembly constituencies. In the second rally in Behali, he will support party candidate and former minister Pallab Lochan Das. All 126 assembly seats in Assam will go to polls on April 9, with counting of votes taking place on May 4, with counting also taking place in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry, where elections will be held around the same period. The BJP-led NDA has been in power in Assam since 2016, when the party won its first assembly election in the state.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta (Photo Credit: ANI)

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday dismissed claims that the ‘Pink Saheli Card’ is not working and said some political people are trying to spread false rumors about its use.“As part of political propaganda, some political people are trying to spread rumors on the ‘Pink Card’ for Delhi women, that if you travel once in a bus and tap it once and then get off the bus to take another bus, it cannot be tapped again. This is a lie. Your cards are working 100% fine. With the ‘Pink Card’, no private individual is getting the benefit of this travel and this is troubling some people. You don’t need to worry and you can get your ‘Pink Card’ done easily,” CM Gupta said.He also took a dig at the Aam Aadmi Party and claimed that they were ‘angry’ over the welfare initiatives being given to women including cycles and ‘Pink Saheli Card’.CM Gupta wrote on Twitter, “When ‘AAP’ is worried about daughters’ bicycles, how will Saheli Pink Card please them? Pink Saheli Card is fully functional. Free ride. Tap it. Be worry free.” Earlier, President Draupadi Murmu launched four women welfare schemes of Delhi government at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.According to officials, the four schemes are ‘Saheli Pink Smart Card’, Free LPG Cylinder Scheme, Delhi Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana and ‘Meri Punji Mera Adhikar’.Under the initiative, the Pink Card was introduced within the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) framework, which provides free bus travel to eligible women and transgender residents. The card will also allow payment travel on metro and regional rapid transit systems through a single touch-free smart card. The cards will be issued at approximately 50 DM/SDM offices and selected DTC centres, whose eligibility will be verified through Aadhaar and linked to the beneficiary’s mobile number.The Chief Minister said that this initiative will prove to be a milestone in making public transport more accessible, safe and digital.Two free LPG cylinders during festivals The scheme will be provided through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). An amount equal to the current price of a cylinder will be deposited in the Aadhaar linked bank account of the head of the family. About 15.50 lakh ration card holding families will benefit from this scheme.The third initiative, ‘Delhi Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana’, focuses on the financial empowerment of daughters. Under this scheme, Rs 56,000 will be deposited in installments in the name of the daughter, which with interest is expected to exceed Rs 1 lakh by the time she turns 21.The fourth measure includes distribution of pending dues under ‘Meri Punji Mera Adhikar’, thereby ensuring that the financial rights of citizens are addressed in a timely and transparent manner.

New Delhi: Air travelers should be prepared for a big increase in airfares. Jet fuel prices have more than doubled in April following the Iran war, dealing a fatal blow to Indian aviation companies. The oil PSU on Wednesday morning announced aviation turbine fuel (ATF) pricing for April, which saw an increase of about 115% for domestic flights and about 107% for international flights. The rupee is touching new lows on a daily basis, increasing the burden on airlines as most of the costs there are denominated in dollars.Domestic ATF Pricing: A kilo liter (kl or 1,000 litre) of ATF for domestic flights will now cost Rs 2,07,341.22 at IGIA in Delhi, India’s busiest aviation hub – a 114.5% increase from Rs 96,638.14 last month. This is the first time that the price of this refined kerosene to ensure that aircraft can defy gravity has crossed the Rs 2 lakh mark in Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. Prices at CSMIA in Mumbai, India’s second busiest hub, will rise 115% to Rs 194,968.67 in April from Rs 90,451.87 last month.ATF pricing for international flights: ATF pricing for these flights by Indian carriers has crossed the $1,000 mark for the first time in India. One kilo liter of ATF for international flights will now cost $1,690.81 in Delhi, which is 107% higher than last month’s $816.91. The prices and hikes in Mumbai are almost the same. At $1,727.3, the highest price will be seen in Kolkata – up 102% from last month’s $855.25. With the rupee at a record low, prices will be further affected.In April and May 2024, the price of ATF for international flights was more than $900. But at that time the dollar-rupee exchange rate was at the level of 83-84. It is now at a record low of more than 95.What this means for the cost structure of airlines: Even before the anticipated increase in India, which is a result of the Iran war and on the same lines as what has happened in most other countries, the ATF for domestic flights in India was among the most expensive globally. Jet fuel accounted for 40%–45% of the airlines’ total operating costs. This percentage will now change massively and make operations unviable for weaker players.What will the airlines do: Airlines will increase fares to reflect increased operating costs. This will affect demand and lead to reduction in flights. Airlines are taking a close look at each route to determine whether operations make economic sense. indigo, air india Group, Akasa were among the airlines that imposed or increased fuel surcharges last month which now range from Rs 150 to $200. Now it can be amended. The fare cap of Rs 18,000 for domestic flights was removed on March 21, 2026. Since airlines have not received any fiscal relief on ATF excise duty (from the Centre) or VAT (from some places like Delhi and Mumbai), they had explicitly asked the government to cap the airfares if their costs can also be fixed similarly.Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said in a mail to employees last month that “the financial impact of the (Iran war) crisis is still not fully felt, although the spot price of jet fuel has more than doubled, most of the impact will hit us only from next month onwards.” He warned that rising operating costs could force more airlines to reduce flights “depending on how fuel costs, airfares and customer demand evolve.” The rupee is touching new low on a daily basis, pushing up dollar-denominated costs for Indian airlines, including fuel, for international flights. The route from the top to the west has become very long.While airlines have implemented or increased fuel surcharges, Wilson said, “Not every customer is willing to pay higher airfares, so there is a limit to how high we can price before demand declines. Additionally, given economic uncertainties, it is not certain that customers or companies will be as willing to travel as they were before the conflict, and may choose to stay put for some time.Wilson had said, “There will be some new demand, as we are seeing – and deploying additional flights to some cities in Europe and North America, but already in some parts of the world airlines are reducing some flights due to higher fuel prices. We may also have to make adjustments depending on how fuel costs, airfares and customer demand evolve.”