Following reports of the International Monetary Fund cautioning India on alleged government debt vulnerabilities, the Centre on Friday said that certain presumptions have been made, which do not reflect the factual position.

One of the key points that the finance ministry has raised is that a majority of India’s general government debt, which includes those of the Centre and states, is in rupees, and external borrowings make up only a small portion. It pointed out that the rollover risk is low for domestic debt.

In its Article IV consultations with India, the IMF had said that, under adverse shocks, the country’s general government debt could be 100% of debt to GDP ratio by FY 2028. The ministry has clarified that this was mentioned as an extreme possibility like “once-in-a-century Covid-19” and was among various favourable and unfavourable scenarios that were listed. The ministry has emphasised that in that instance, the IMF was talking only of a worst-case scenario and this is not a “fait accompli”.

The finance ministry also pointed out that IMF reports for other countries showed a much higher extreme scenario for them, with the figures being 160% for the US, 140% for the UK and 200% for China. 

The IMF report for India also indicates that, under favourable circumstances, the General Government Debt to GDP ratio may decline to below 70 per cent in the same period, the ministry said.

The ministry said that shocks like Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war have uniformly impacted the global economy. Despite this, it said, India has done relatively well and is still below the debt level of 2002.

It also emphasised that the general government debt has reduced significantly from approximately 88% in FY 2020-21 to about 81% in 2022-23 and that the Centre is on track to “achieve its stated fiscal consolidation target (to reduce fiscal deficit below 4.5 per cent of GDP by FY 2025-26)”.

France grounded a charter flight headed to Nicaragua carrying 303 Indian passengers on Friday to conduct a judicial investigation.The Airbus A340, belonging to Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, had flown in from the United Arab Emirates, and had landed at Vatry airport in eastern France for a technical stopover. The airport is 150 kms from Paris, and is mostly used by budget airllines.
Authorities stepped in and grounded the plane after an anonymous tip-off that some of the passengers on board were “victims of human trafficking”, the Paris prosecutor said.
Two men have been detained and are being questioned by a unit specialising in organised crime.
Liliana Bakayoko, who said she was a lawyer for Legend Airlines, told AFP the company believed it had done nothing wrong, had committed no offence “and is at the disposal of the French authorities”. But the airline would take legal action if the prosecutors file charges, she added.
India has been granted consular access to those onboard the flight and officials have reached the spot to investigate and ensure the well-being of the passengers.
“French authorities informed us of a plane with 303 people, mostly of Indian origin, from Dubai to Nicaragua detained on a technical halt at a French airport. The embassy team has reached and obtained consular access. We are investigating the situation, also ensuring the well-being of the passengers,” the Indian Embassy in France said in a post on X.
According to news agency AFP, officials suspect that the passengers might have planned to travel to Central America in order to attempt illegal entry into the United States or Canada.
After landing in France, they were first kept on the aircraft, but then let out and given individual beds in the terminal building. “The reception hall at Vatry airport was transformed into a waiting area with individual beds to provide passengers with the best possible reception conditions,” the prefect’s office said.
The 303 Indians spent the night at the airport and officials are yet to give an update on when they will be allowed to fly out.
Border police can initially hold a foreign national for up to four days if they land in France and are prevented from travelling on to their intended destination. French law allows for that period to be extended to eight days if a judge approves it, then another eight days in exceptional circumstances, up to a maximum of 26 days.

Vivek Bindra, a popular motivational speaker and social media influencer, is accused of domestic violence against his wife. A case has been registered against him by his brother-in-law in Noida’s Sector 126, police said. 

According to the police, the complaint was filed by Vaibhav Kwatra, the brother of Bindra’s wife, Yanika, who claimed that the incident took place in the Supernova West Residency in Noida’s Sector 94, where the couple resides.

In the early hours of December 7, a heated altercation erupted between Bindra and his mother, Prabha. What began as a family dispute took a distressing turn when Yanika stepped in to mediate, only to get physically assaulted by Bindra, police said. The assault has allegedly left deep wounds on Yanika’s body, as captured in a video that has since gone viral on social media.

According to the details mentioned in the FIR, Bindra and Yanika got married on December 6. However, hours after the wedding, Bindra allegedly took Yanika inside a room, hurled abuses at her, pulled her hair and assaulted her. The complaint claims that Yanika is unable to hear properly because of the assault. Bindra allegedly broke her phone too.

Bindra, CEO of Bada Business Private Limited (BBPL) and followed by millions on YouTube and Instagram, is also at the centre of an alleged scam, as per another high-profile Indian motivational speaker and YouTuber Sandeep Maheshwari. 

Mr Maheshwari released a video on his YouTube channel titled “Big Scam Expose” in which he presented testimonials from students who claimed to have been deceived by Bindra’s company. However, Bindra has denied all allegations.