NEW DELHI: In a major boost for electronics manufacturing, the Centre has cleared 22 new proposals – including from Samsung, Foxconn, Tata Electronics and Dixon – for component manufacturing entailing investments of nearly Rs 42,000 crore.The investments under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) are projected to result in domestic production of Rs 2.6 lakh crore in the coming years and reduce the reliance on imports. In recent years, electronics manufacturing, including mobile phones and computers, has increased in the country but imports haven’t come down as the manufacturers rely on components produced in other countries, especially China.Companies such as Apple are stepping up iPhone production in India, positioning it as a rival base to China and its vendors, including Foxconn, Tata Electronics, ATL Battery Tech, Hindalco Industries and Motherson Electronic Components, are among those investing under the new scheme.While a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme helped boost electronics manufacturing, the components programme is likely to augment that. The scheme will see the production of printed circuit boards, capacitors, enclosures and lithium-ion cells among the 11 categories.While four facilities each will be in Maharashtra and Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana (three each) are the other major production centres under the scheme.

Govt had earlier cleared proposals in two tranches – seven projects with investment of Rs 5,500 crore and then 17 proposals entailing investment of Rs 7,172 crore.IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Centre’s focus on major reforms, enabling policies, and efficient and speedy execution of projects and initiatives have helped generate investments and the “results are clearly visible, sector after sector.”He also said that four chip companies will start commercial production this year, and almost all the top automobile and telecom companies will source semiconductors from them.“The plants which started pilot production last year, they are the ones that will get into commercial production earlier, which is Kaynes and CG Semi. Micron has also started pilot production very recently. They will also go next month. Tata plant in Assam will start pilot production by middle of the year, and by the end of the year they will start the commercial production,” Vaishnaw said.

Just like Virat Kohli’s recent domestic matches, Indian ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill’s upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy game will also be played without fans in the stands. It will be Gill’s first domestic game since being dropped from India’s T20 World Cup squad.Gill will turn out for Punjab against Sikkim on Saturday at the Jaipuria College ground, but no general public will be allowed to watch the match from inside the venue.

The decision has been taken following BCCI guidelines. According to the board’s instructions, both Shubman Gill and India pacer Arshdeep Singh will feature in Punjab’s next two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches. Punjab will face Sikkim on January 3 and Goa on January 6. While the match against Goa will be played at the KL Saini Stadium, the Sikkim game has been scheduled at the Jaipuria College ground. Due to security concerns and the absence of proper seating arrangements for spectators, the match will be held behind closed doors. A BCCI source explained that only people associated with the college will be allowed entry. “The students and staff are allowed inside the premises but there will be enough security arrangements including private bouncers being deployed. In any case, no outsiders will be allowed inside the college premises,” the source told PTI.“The scheduling was done much earlier. Only because of Rohit Sharma and anticipating the response, Mumbai’s match had to be shifted to Sawai Man Singh Stadium from Anantam,” the source added. Like the Vijay Hazare Trophy games featuring Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Gill’s match will also not be available for fans to watch on television or online. There will be no live broadcast or live streaming of the game. Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh are expected to reach the venue late on Friday night. Their travel plans were affected due to poor weather conditions in north India. “Both Gill and Arshdeep were supposed to arrive by evening but prevailing weather condition in North India has led to delay of their flights. Weather permitting, they will arrive by late night,” the source said. With fans unable to attend or watch the match live, Gill’s appearance for Punjab will remain a low-key affair. However, the game will still be important for Punjab as they continue their Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign with two key international players returning to domestic cricket.

If only wishes were horses. After honouring his commitment to the Barmy Army and England cricket fans and gifting them with a two-day win in Melbourne in the fourth Test to make the Ashes appear a bit more competitive, dear old Santa travelled to India, sneaked into the room of a diehard Indian cricket fan and on New Year’s Day, asked him to make a fan wishlist for Indian cricket for 2026. Here’s what Santa found…Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!1. Since it’s all about the fan, can we be a bit selfish? Can you please tell the BCCI that, after the players, we are the biggest stakeholders and that if we don’t watch the games on TV or throng the stadiums, the product they show and advertise looks really bad? So, can you please tell them to provide us with cleaner toilets when we come to the stadiums and access to clean drinking water — either free or at a reasonable price? Oh, we hope we are not asking for too much.

2. We really care about Indian cricket and how it is represented globally. Can we ask for a single person in charge to run the game, rather than honorary administrators who try to do an honest job but, because of the nature of the role, often face no accountability when things go wrong?3. Can we have luminaries without agendas as director of cricket or CEO and give them the freedom to run the show? Let them plan the ‘A’ tours, run camps for junior and senior players before major home or away series, decide on player workloads and have the power to pull players out of lucrative franchise leagues to keep them fresh for important red-ball assignments. Doesn’t Indian cricket deserve that level of efficiency and accountability? Doesn’t the Test cricket fan deserve to see the game played in six or seven fixed venues that have a history of watching and appreciating the nuances of Test cricket? Also, can we please say goodbye to Test-match pitches where wickets and wins are delivered faster than quick-commerce apps deliver our goods?

4. We know leaks in bathrooms and water tanks often result in discoloured walls and damaged foundations. Please tell players, coaches and the administrators, of course, to avoid leaking information to select media outlets just to level scores with people they do not like. The past year saw too many dressing-room rumblings, with the head coach and the players taking veiled potshots at each other through the media.5. Can we see more players being rewarded for performances in domestic cricket? The likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sarfaraz Khan, despite toiling away earnestly in the domestic circuit, haven’t been rewarded with steady international opportunities. A first step has been taken with the selectors rewarding Ishan Kishan’s success in domestic cricket with a recall for the T20 World Cup. Now can we see some fresh faces for the Sri Lanka Test series in August? As great as the Indian men’s team was in T20Is, we as fans still care about red-ball cricket. Ask any of us what our favourite moment of 2025 was and, apart from Harmanpreet Kaur’s leap in the air at cover to dismiss Nadine de Klerk off Deepti Sharma that sealed the women’s ODI World Cup final for India, it would be Mohammed Siraj uprooting Gus Atkinson’s off stump at the Oval. That wicket resulted in a thrilling six-run win as India levelled the series 2-2 in England. We thought that would signal the start of a red-ball renaissance after a disappointing 2024, but what unfolded against South Africa at home was nothing less than a horror show.

6. While we’re at it, can we ask for a proper No. 3 batter instead of players who are not yet ready for the big stage being handed that position on the basis of success in white-ball cricket? After all, many of Indian cricket’s greats have batted in that position.7. Can you quietly whisper in Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav’s ear that he is allowed to hit the ball on the off side, too, and that he has a range of stunning strokes, not just the pick-up shot in the arc between mid-wicket and long leg? Also, can you ask him if all is okay with his right wrist? And if not, can you provide him with a magic potion that heals it quickly and allows him to play the T20 World Cup without any problems? A lot of people’s jobs could be on the line if India do not win that tournament, Surya included. And the Indian team cannot carry passengers in the top four in a competitive multi-nation tournament.8. Since head coach Gautam Gambhir made a passionate plea about people needing to “stay in their domain” — and not comment on whether India would benefit by splitting the coaching role for redball and white-ball formats — can you tell him to tell the players too to stay in their domain and not make emotional speeches in press conferences or prize distribution ceremonies about patriotism and nationalism? Especially before the team plays Pakistan in Colombo on Feb 15? After all, fans don’t care whether a player is looking at politics as a post-retirement career option!

9. Can we ask you to tell all cricket lovers not to be as angry and toxic on social media, and not run trends and hashtags to make ‘Player Ro’ appear bigger or greater than ‘Player Ko’?10. Santa, we know we have already gone overboard with our demands, but if it is not too much of a bother, can you also locate the Asia Cup trophy that we won last Sept in Dubai? It would be great if we could have it before the 50-over version comes around next year. That just about does it. Thank you. Happy New Year.

INDIAN CRICKET: 2025’S UNIQUE NUMBERS

—Stats: Rajesh Kumar

NEW DELHI: Underlining that an investigative agency must be given freedom to conduct a probe, Supreme Court has held that courts should ordinarily refrain from setting timelines for agencies to complete the investigation as it would amount to stepping on the “toes of the latter”. A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N K Singh said that courts should step in to impose timelines only if there is delay on part of the agency to wrap up the investigation. “In sum, timelines are imposed reactively and not prophylactically,” it said, quashing the order of Allahabad HC that set a timeline of 90 days for the state police to complete the probe in a criminal case pertaining to procurement of arms licences on the basis of forged documents.Speedy trial, timely probe integral to Article 21: SC Supreme Court said judicial directives fixing timelines are warranted only where there is evident stagnation, unexplained inaction or a pattern of delay that cannot be justified by the nature or complexity of a case. Referring to various judgments of SC, the bench said, “Necessary conclusion to be drawn from the discussion is that timelines are not drawn by court to be followed by investigators/executive right from the beginning, for that would clearly amount to stepping on the toes of the latter. Timelines are, therefore, imposed at a point where not doing so would have adverse consequences i.e. there is material on record demonstrating undue delays, stagnation or the like.“ At the same time, it stressed speedy trial, which necessarily includes timely and diligent investigation, has been recognised as an integral part of Art 21 of Constitution and cannot be ignored as it is essential to maintain fairness and credibility of criminal justice system. “The challenge, therefore, lies in balancing the practical realities of investigation with constitutional mandate that criminal proceedings, from investigation through trial, be conducted with reasonable promptitude and care. It is this balancing role that judiciary plays. It is for those reasons that while on the one hand, there is a statutorily laid down process in place which is generally followed, powers such as that of Article 226 of the Constitution and Section 482, Code of Criminal Procedure, have been kept open in their widest sense possible – to secure the ends of justice,” the bench stated. Court said the process of investigation is long and winding and legal proceedings also frequently intersect with the investigation and affect its pace and direction, and hinted that it might be difficult to complete a probe within a fixed timeline. “Applications for anticipatory bail, regular bail, or the like can result in temporary pauses or changes in strategy. Courts may call for further investigation, ask for clarification on specific aspects, or even direct a change of the investigating officer. Each such intervention requires the investigating agency to revisit its work and sometimes take a fresh path altogether,” it said. “So, it can be seen that the investigative process is at times straight, at other times one of lots of twists, turns and recalibrations and in yet others, frustratingly round-about like before it can come to a somewhat definitive conclusion to present the case for trial before the concerned, and sometimes, even at that time the definitive conclusion, at least from an investigator’s standpoint, remains elusive,” it added.

PRAYAGRAJ: Allahabad HC has held that absence of written tenancy agreement or not furnishing particulars of tenancy do not bar jurisdiction of rent authority. HC has also said that under Uttar Pradesh Regulation of Urban Premises Tenancy Act, 2021, rent authority has jurisdiction to entertain a landlord’s application for eviction of tenant where no written tenancy agreement has been executed and the landlord has also failed to furnish particulars of tenancy. HC emphasised state legislature’s conscious decision to omit “fatal consequences” found in Central Model Tenancy Act ensured landlords were not deprived of their right to seek expedient eviction due to technical documentation failures. With this judgment dated Dec 16, HC partly allowed writ petitions filed by Canara Bank’s branch office and others. The issue in writ petitions was whether rent authority, constituted according to the 2021 law, had jurisdiction to entertain applications filed by landlords in cases where a tenancy agreement had not been executed, if not executed, the landlord having failed to file particulars of tenancy with the rent authority. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal said, “This provision leads to the conclusion that jurisdiction of rent authority under the Act of 2021 cannot be narrowed down only in cases of written agreement and its intimation to rent authority. Had the legislature thought of giving limited access to landlord or tenant to approach rent authority only in cases of written agreement or its intimation, then proviso to sub-section (5) of Section 9 would not have been there in the statute book. The intention of the legislature cannot be ascertained merely on the basis of single provision, and regard must be given to other sections as well as the context, subject-matter and the object of the provision.” On behalf of the landlord, it was argued the 2021 Act was intended to balance the rights of owners and tenants. They maintained the legislature deliberately omitted the “consequences” for failing to intimate an agreement to ensure landlords were not stripped of their right to seek eviction. Essentially, they argued rent authority should handle disputes even in unwritten tenancies to prevent the law’s objectives from being frustrated by technicalities. HC observed the proviso further clarified the position to the extent that, in case of failure to present the agreement jointly or failing to reach an agreement, only particulars submitted separately with rent authority by the parties would suffice as to tenancy. For cases where eviction was sought directly under the new law, HC set aside orders that had previously deemed such applications non-maintainable due to a lack of written agreements. While some matters were remanded for fresh decisions, others resulted in eviction orders. In certain petitions, tenants were granted a six-month grace period to vacate the premises, provided they submitted a formal undertaking and cleared all financial dues.

INDORE: Bhagirathpura in Indore has fallen eerily quiet. Streets that are usually crowded remain largely deserted, save for a handful of residents at temporary medical camps set up in the locality. With more than 200 people from the neighbourhood hospitalised across 27 medical facilities in the city, most families have been away since Monday night, tending to relatives struck by diarrhoea, vomiting and high fever. Nine residents have died so far.For Sadhana Sahu, a private school teacher, the silence is permanent. Sitting outside her home on Thursday, she struggled to speak through tears as she recalled losing her five-month-old son, Abhyan. “The water was contaminated. I mixed it with his milk and his condition worsened,” she said.

The crisis in Bhagirathpura began when waste water from a toilet constructed at a police check post seeped into the main drinking water pipeline below it. Officials of the Indore Municipal Corporation said the contractor had diverted the toilet’s discharge into a pit located directly above the water line instead of building a septic tank connected to the sewer system, leading to large-scale contamination.As state officials rushed on Thursday to identify lapses, improve treatment facilities and flush the water supply network, Sadhana remained inconsolable. Abhyan, she said, was born a decade after the couple’s first child. “We waited 10 years for him. Now he is gone,” she said.Her husband, Sunil Sahu, who works remotely for an internet services firm, said their son first showed symptoms of diarrhoea and fever on December 26. “We took him to a doctor and brought him home with medicines. For two days, he seemed better. Then suddenly on Monday, his fever spiked, he vomited and collapsed. He died at home. We didn’t even get the chance to reach a hospital,” he said.Grief hangs heavy across Bhagirathpura, a densely populated area of nearly 15,000 people, most of whom belong to economically weaker sections. Almost every household has one or more members suffering from similar symptoms.From Borasi ki Gali, Alguram Yadav said his 65-year-old wife, Urmila, died on Sunday. His son, daughter-in-law and 11-month-old grandson are currently undergoing treatment in hospital. “We barely get by. When illness strikes, everything collapses,” he said.Yadav said apart from visits by officials to take stock of the situation, little help reached families initially. “The minister came and handed over the Rs 2 lakh compensation cheque announced by the chief minister,” he said, adding that many families were still struggling to cope with medical costs and loss.

A fresh political storm has hit the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) high-profile signing of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, which has put the franchise co-owner Shah Rukh Khan under immense pressure ahead of the 2026 season.

The Mustafizur Rahman Saga: The Signing That Ignited Political Controversy

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) snapped up Bangladesh’s left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman for a whopping ₹9.20 crore at the IPL 2026 auction. It was just a move to bolster their bowling attack, but the recent situation of Hindus in Bangladesh has been putting continuous pressure on KKR and SRK.

Read Also: KKR declared anti-nationals after major controversy leads to unrest

While Mustafizur is a proven T20 asset, the cricketer’s signing is now overshadowed by geopolitical tensions due to rising anger over repeated reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. The issue has now moved beyond social media anger and into open political demands.

Political Backlash and Calls for a Ban

Several political leaders have openly urged Shah Rukh Khan to remove the Bangladeshi pacer from the KKR squad. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam has requested the KKR co-owner to drop Mustafizur from the side, saying the presence of a Bangladeshi player in his team could make the Bollywood superstar a direct target of public anger.

Sanjay Nirupam was quoted as saying by ANI: “When the entire country is enraged and angry at Bangladesh, anyone in India who has even the slightest connection to Bangladeshis could become a target of that anger. If there is a Bangladeshi in Shah Rukh Khan’s team, before he becomes a major target, we request that Shah Rukh Khan remove the Bangladeshi from his team. This will be for his own good and will also protect India’s interests.”

The pressure intensified further when Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey called for a complete ban on Bangladeshi players in the IPL. He stated that foreign players from countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan should not be allowed to play on Indian soil, especially at a time when emotions are running high due to attacks on Hindu minorities across the border.

Read Also: If Dropped Due to Political Storm, Will KKR Still Pay Mustafizur Rahman Rs 9.2 Crore for IPL 2026?

Dubey stated, “Bangladeshi players shouldn’t be allowed to play on Indian soil in the IPL… Pakistani and Bangladeshi players should be prohibited. They harbor hatred towards us for the murder of our Hindu brothers and sisters… Shah Rukh Khan should immediately remove that Bangladeshi cricketer from his team… If he doesn’t do this even after all this uproar, it will prove that, while he lives in this country and earns money here, he doesn’t understand this nation’s sentiments.”

Shah Rukh Khan’s History with Political Controversy

In 2012, the Bollywood icon was banned from entering Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium for five years after an argument with security staff. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) later reduced the ban, and it was lifted in 2015. A few years later, the actor revealed that he got angry because his children were present and were not being handled properly, and a security guard used an offensive word directed at his religion, which made him lose his temper.

And then in 2015, SRK mentioned “growing intolerance” in India, which led to him being labelled “anti-national,” with many political leaders suggesting he “go to Pakistan.” Given these past incidents, the KKR-Rahman deal is being linked to alleged anti-India sentiments and violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.

For retired couple Ovita and Ajit Parulekar, nights are not what they used to be. Their social life, once hobbled by road closures and chronic congestion around their Shivaji Park home, has shifted from first gear to fourth. And they have the cause of their erstwhile exasperation to thank for it—Metro 3 or the Aqua Line. “Our social life has greatly improved; we go out more often now because it’s easy to travel both to BKC and South Mumbai on the Aqua Line. Moreover, it’s comfortable and safe for seniors, even late at night. Previously, we had to resort to Ubers,” says Parulekar, a former state-level hockey and basketball player who retired from SBI a decade ago. The new line has also freed the Parulekars from the routine gamble over parking space. Earlier, they drove their car only when traffic on their street was thin, wary of losing their spot. The metro has driven this worry away. 2025 was the year that launched, or extended, several transportation projects, such as the Aqua Line, the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR), Vikhroli East-West Flyover and the northbound connector bridge on the Coastal Road. These projects have done more than cut short commute; they’ve opened opportunities to socialise, pursue neglected hobbies, and enjoy a better quality of life. Metro 3 experienced a surge in passenger traffic in the week leading up to Dec 31. It even ran special services past midnight to cater to New Year revellersKhushi Rawat, a PR professional who made a career move from Kota to Mumbai four years ago, said she relocated from Chembur to Ghatkopar to make the most of the metro network. “Ghatkopar is well connected to all the three metro lines, making it easy to travel to south Mumbai and western suburbs,” said Rawat, who works at Saki Naka. Previously, when she took the train, her commute was extended by road traffic. But the Aqua Line, with multiple stops in Andheri, allows her to exit close to her office. Now, it takes me about 30 minutes to travel one way when it would have previously taken over an hour. I have put a strain on my living budget but it’s worth it; the shift has made life easier.” Krishnaprasad K, another fan of the Aqua Line, finds himself reading more than he used to. KP to his friends, the PR professional, has turned a drawback of the underground line—poor internet—into an advantage by using his commute, from Mahalaxmi to Saki Naka, to dive into a book. Yet, even as commuters applaud its benefits, they also call out the Metro’s flaws. Poor mobile connectivity is a universal concern. “It’s especially challenging if you need to coordinate with someone on where to meet or at which station to get off,” says Parulekar. She highlights another problem seniors in particular face—the long walk from the station entrance to the platform. “Elders may find it difficult to walk the distance,” she says. Some enjoy the knock-on benefits of a new transport system, even when it’s not the road they themselves travel. It was the SCLR that elevated marketing professional Anand Vaidya’s quality of life by simply easing traffic on Nehru Road, Vakola, where he lives. “Driving from Vakola to my office in Lower Parel takes me around 40 minutes. Before the SCLR was opened, it took me an additional 40 minutes to cover the 300m from the Western Express Highway to my house,” he says, recalling the anxiety of having to cut through the thick wedge of traffic at Vakola Junction, while braving horns and road rage. For many Mumbaikars, the daily commute feels like a battle that costs time, money, energy and opportunity. The string of new projects is finally placing commuters on the winning side, notes Madhvendra Das, who runs a communications consulting firm. He compares the current infrastructure run with the spate of urban developments the city witnessed in the late 1990s-early 2000s, with new flyovers, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Mumbai Urban Transport Project initiated. “The current phase feels like the quantum leap in commuting we witnessed back then,” he says. “It’s one big liberating moment.” But for selective sections of the city, observes Sudhir Badami wryly. The civil engineer, transportation analyst and IITian points out the new infrastructure caters chiefly to those with access to private, 4-wheeler transport. It conveys the impression that “it is their commuting time the govt values and is attempting to save, while it has no concern for the larger population that continues to travel in miserable and often risky conditions,” says Badami, who is also a member of the CM’s taskforce for the integration of public transport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. His book on commuting outlines ways in which the govt can course-correct and design an integrated transportation plan that works for all. This includes a premium Bus Rapid Transit System network; microbuses to improve last-mile connectivity; metros operated at design capacity—and, of course, equitable pricing. “Ultimately, you must have a transport system that caters to every section of society.” (With inputs by Asmita Dey)