Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha meet the families of Pahalgam terror attack victims, in Srinagar on April 23, 2025
| Photo Credit: ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (April 23, 2025) held a meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the Delhi airport upon his arrival from Saudi Arabia to take stock of the situation following the terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead.

Mr. Modi was briefed by the officials immediately upon his return on Tuesday’s terror attack that has sparked outrage across the country and condemnation from world leaders.

Pahalgam terror attack LIVE

Terrorists struck at a prime tourist location in Pahalgam in south Kashmir on Tuesday, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists, and injuring several others.

The bodies of the 26 victims were were brought to the Government Medical College (GMC) in Srinagar early Wednesday and then taken to the Police Control Room where Home Minister Amit Shah laid wreaths on them.

Also Read | Pahalgam attack: Centre asks tour operators, hotels to forego cancellation fees for J&K bookings

Mr. Shah, who reached Srinagar on Tuesday night, assured the survivors of the attack that the perpetrators of the dastardly act would be brought to justice, officials said.

The Jammu and Kashmir government announces ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh each for the families of the deceased, ₹2 lakh for those seriously injured and ₹1 lakh for those with minor injuries.

An NIA team headed by an inspector general is on way to Pahalgam to provide assistance to the local police probing Tuesday’s dastardly terrorist attack, sources said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has cut short her official visit to the U.S. in view of the attack.

Also Read | Government to hold all-party meet on Pahalgam attack on April 24

Ms. Sitharaman is part of the five-member Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Modi.

The killing sparked condemnation by leaders and locals alike in Kashmir and Jammu regions with shutdown observed in many places.

The Kashmir Valley observed a shutdown against a terror attack for the first time in 35 years, as people from all walks of life supported the bandh call to protest the killings in Pahalgam.

Peaceful protests were also held at several places, with the protesters denouncing the attack.

Also Read | Terrorists kept firing for 25-30 minutes, recalls Pahalgam eyewitness

Several political parties, socio-religious organisation, trade bodies, and civil society groups called for a shutdown in Kashmir to protest against the attack in the Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam, including the ruling National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), People’s Conference, and Apni Party.

Many Kashmir newspapers on Wednesday printed their front pages black to protest the Pahalgam terror attack.

The striking act of protest by the newspapers, each bearing powerful headlines in white or red, was a powerful public display of solidarity and grief, symbolising the collective sorrow felt by the residents and the media over the inhuman act.

In the wake of the attack, Civil Aviation Ministry has asked airlines to ensure there is no surge in airfares on the Srinagar route, and airlines will be operating additional flights to the city.

Also Read | We will not only reach out to those who have carried out this incident, but also to those who, sitting behind the scenes, planned it: Rajnath

With the Pahalgam terror strike evoking widespread criticism from different quarters, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi spoke to Shah, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and senior party leaders from the union territory, asserting that the families of the victims deserve justice.

“The perpetrators of this heinous terror attack must not go unpunished. The innocent victims must get justice,” Kharge said in a post on X.

Rahul Gandhi also said he spoke to Shah, Abdullah, and J-K Congress chief Tariq Karra about the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam to get an update on the situation.

The Congress leader, who’s currently on a visit to the U.S., asserted that the families of the victims deserve justice and “our fullest support”. “Spoke with HM Amit Shah, J-K CM Omar Abdullah, and J-K PCC President Tariq Karra about the horrific Pahalgam terror attack. Received an update on the situation,” he said in a post on X.

Facilitating growth of global capability centres in the country is a priority for the government as the GCCs create jobs and consequently provide a boost to the economy as well as facilitate innovation, Secretary to the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology S. Krishnan said here on Wednesday.

The senior official, who was speaking at the Nasscom GCC Summit, said this citing the plans of the government to spread the growth of such facilities to tier II and III cities. He also underscored how the GCCs ought to generate more higher quality jobs.

“The more higher order jobs, engineering and engineering R&D and product development coming into India is something the country welcomes,” he said.

In the Union Budget for 2025-26, the government mooted a national framework for GCC as guidance to States for promoting such facilities in tier 2 cities. He said expanding to tier II and III cities would benefit the companies by way of significant cost reduction and talent retention.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were a few States that have also launched their own programmes to push for GCCs in tier II and III cities, he said, adding the framework of the Centre is to encourage more States promote growth of such facilities in locations beyond the major cities.

On the sidelines, to a query from media on the India AI Mission, Mr. Krishnan said the response to call for proposals to develop indigenous foundational AI models, including Large Language Models, has been positive. It has been extremely good with 67 proposals received in the first round and 120 in the next.

He said the government is keen on promoting innovation through AI. Regulation of the emerging technology is not the priority.

If there’s one thing India’s babus do well, it’s dressing up flexibility as policy. Case in point: The latest extensions given to Sonia Narang and Abhishek Goyal, both senior IPS officers on Central deputation to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Their tenures have been extended in “relaxation” of the IPS tenure policy. Now that’s babu-speak for, “Yes, we made rules. No, we’re not always bound by them.”

Take Ms Narang. In early April, she was relieved from her ED post and sent back to the Karnataka cadre without explanation. And just like that, she’s back in Delhi with a one-year extension. Whiplash, anyone? In her time at ED, she’s handled a whole alphabet soup of high-profile cases — PFI, IFFCO, Vivo, Maoists, even the ever-glamorous Khan Market cash trail. Someone decided she’s too valuable to let go just yet. But observers are wondering why the unceremonious exit earlier?

Mr Goyal’s extension is equally telling. Currently leading the HIU and also handling the Northern Region (including the recently held Maharashtra elections), he, too, gets a one-year bonus round. Perhaps it helps to be where the political action is.

Let’s not forget: The post of special director is the second-highest rank in the ED hierarchy. There are nine of them. That’s a lot of “special” and not a lot of clarity.

So here we are watching the rules bend, twist, and politely look the other way when power and convenience collide. The ACC may call it relaxation. For many others, it’s a masterclass in bureaucratic yoga.

When babus bicker: Kerala’s ‘civil war’ goes public Kerala’s babudom seems to be experiencing its own version of a reality show, complete with public spats, social media drama, and allegations flying faster than monsoon winds.

At the centre of this storm is IAS officer N. Prasanth, affectionately dubbed “Collector Bro” for his social media savvy. Currently suspended, Mr Prasanth has accused senior bureaucrats A. Jayathilak and K. Gopalakrishnan of corruption and conspiracy, even dragging a Malayalam daily into the fray. He claims his suspension is retaliation for whistleblowing against entrenched corruption and misuse of office — serious charges that can’t just be brushed off.

Meanwhile, Mr Gopalakrishnan was suspended for allegedly creating a religion-based WhatsApp group, seen as a violation of service rules. Mr Prasanth’s own suspension followed his very public criticism of Jayathilak on social media, which the government called a breach of conduct. The online slugfest has exposed the cracks within Kerala’s famously disciplined administrative set-up.

This bureaucratic brawl isn’t just about bruised egos; it reflects deeper dysfunction within the administrative framework. The public airing of such disputes, especially on social media, undermines the integrity of the civil services and erodes public trust. And let’s not forget, it’s also a massive distraction from governance.

In an era where transparency is paramount, perhaps it’s time for the babus to embrace openness and address internal conflicts through proper institutional channels. After all, the public deserves a civil service that is as accountable as it is efficient and less prone to becoming an OTT-worthy drama.

MP babus bear transparency burden, not ministers In the power corridors of Madhya Pradesh, a silent discontent brews among babus. While IAS, IPS, and IFS officers are mandated to disclose their immovable assets annually, ministers have sidestepped this transparency for over 15 years. The contrast is as stark as it is telling, and although no one dares say it out loud, the resentment is palpable.

The state’s general administration department has reiterated that all state employees must submit detailed property disclosures. This includes information on ancestral and self-acquired properties, purchase dates, values, and current market valuations. Non-compliance could result in withheld salaries or stalled promotions — a stiff penalty for mere delay, let alone defiance.

In contrast, ministers have largely avoided such scrutiny. Despite previous commitments, including a 2016 announcement to declare assets online, many ministers have not consistently disclosed their property details. Successive governments have either quietly ignored the issue or kicked the can down the road, possibly to avoid ruffling political feathers.

This discrepancy fosters a sense of inequity among bureaucrats, who are held to stringent standards while political leaders operate with relative impunity. The whisper in government circles is not about whether this is unfair but how long this double standard will continue.

The lack of ministerial transparency undermines the principles of accountability and good governance. For a truly transparent administration, it’s imperative that ministers lead by example, embracing the same disclosure standards imposed on bureaucrats.

Until then, babus will keep filing their disclosures under silent protest, watching their political bosses sail above the accountability tide, dry, untouched, and remarkably unbothered.