Fuel prices hiked again, citizens seek govt intervention
New Delhi, Sep 09 : A day ahead of the Bharat Bandh called for by the Congress Party, fuel prices have been hiked yet again on Sunday.
In New Delhi, the price of petrol has been hiked to Rs. 80.50 per litre, and diesel to Rs.72. 61 per litre, following an increase of 12 paise and 10 paise, respectively.
The surge in fuel prices has affected people in Mumbai the most, with petrol retailing at Rs. 87.89 per litre and diesel at 77.09 per litre, after a 12 paise and 11 paise hike, respectively.
The constant rise in fuel prices is strengthening citizens' demand for government intervention in the matter.
"There is an increase in the fuel price with each passing day, and the common man is suffering the most. The government should do something about it," a citizen from New Delhi to ANI.
A local from Mumbai, while narrating the plight of commoners, said rising fuel prices have triggered a surge in the prices of other commodities as well.
"We are tired of this government. Instead of the 'Achhe Din' promised by the government, the days are becoming worse. It has become difficult for us to run our house. The fuel prices are increasing with each passing day. It is affecting everything, everything is becoming expensive due to it," he added.
As a mark of protest against the exorbitant fuel prices, the Shiv Sena put up hoardings on Saturday night across Mumbai, displaying figures of petrol, diesel, and gas from 2015 and 2018 to highlight the surge in prices.
While the government has maintained that depreciation of the Indian Rupee against the U.S dollar and a hike in global crude oil prices is causing a surge in domestic oil prices, citizens and the Opposition alike feel the Narendra Modi government is not doing enough to curb rising oil prices.
A nationwide shutdown will be observed on September 10 (Monday) by the Congress, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Samajwadi Party (SP), while left parties have given a separate call for bandh on the same day over the hike in fuel prices, the problem of farmers and unemployment issues.
courtesy : aninews.in
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
