Good morning,
You can now withdraw up to 100% of the ‘eligible balance’ from your retirement fund. The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has made major updates to its withdrawal rules, outlining just three categories for drawing out funds: essential needs (illness, education, marriage), housing needs, and special circumstances (needs no further clarification). However, members must keep at least 25% of their total contributions as a minimum balance in their accounts at all times. The EPFO has also reduced the minimum service period required for withdrawals and relaxed the limits on how much can be withdrawn under each category. Read all about the changes here.
🚨 Big Story
In emphatic declarations, US President Donald Trump and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, rang in the “end of war” in Gaza on Monday. Trump, who arrived in Israel minutes after militant group Hamas released the remaining hostages, told its Parliament, “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.” He then travelled to Egypt, where world leaders had gathered to discuss the next steps at the Gaza ‘peace summit’.
As it happened: There were celebrations on both sides. The released hostages waved to the crowds gathered at the “hostage square” in Tel Aviv, while Palestinians rushed to embrace freed prisoners, who arrived in buses in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. At the summit in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh city, Trump, along with Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, who helped broker the ceasefire, signed the peace deal. However, no representatives of Israel or Hamas signed the document.
Choppy waters ahead: The exchange marked the first phase of the ceasefire. But obstacles remain in implementing the next phase. Crucial questions remain unanswered: Will Hamas agree to disarm? Who will pay to rebuild Gaza? Who will govern it? How well the 20-point peace plan is implemented rests on the intent of all sides, including Trump and Netanyahu, who is facing increasing internal pressure. Read Anil Sasi’s explainer.
Also read the Express View: Trump, disruptor-in-chief, becomes the unlikely peacemaker in Gaza
🎧 For more on the ceasefire, tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode.
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⚡ Only in Express
RTI is dead, long live RTI: On October 12, the Right to Information (RTI) Act marked its 20th anniversary. There were celebrations in Rajasthan’s Beawar, where the struggle for transparency began nearly 30 years ago. But one speaker at the event underscored how the recently passed (yet to be implemented) Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) threatens to undo years of their struggle and render the RTI Act useless. In our Opinion pages today, social activists Nikhil Dey and Aruna Roy explain how the DPDPA threatens RTI’s power and curtails freedom of expression.
📰 From the Front Page
Back on track: India and Canada signalled a thaw in their relations, agreeing on a roadmap to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, civil nuclear collaboration, artificial intelligence and energy, among others. This came during Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand’s visit to India, where she met her counterpart, S Jaishankar, and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was the first visit of a Canadian Foreign Minister to India in over two years, ever since diplomatic ties plummeted in 2023 over allegations surrounding the assassination of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Pressure mounts: The Haryana government has sent Director General of Police Shatrujeet Kapur on leave as pressure mounted over the suicide of senior IPS officer and Additional Director General of Police, Y Puran Kumar. In a “final note”, Kumar accused Kapur and Rohtak Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya, who has been transferred, and several others of caste-based harassment.
📌 Must Read
Blueprint? Days after he threatened an additional 100% tariff on China, Trump seemed to walk back on his stance. On Sunday, he wrote: “Don’t worry about China, it will all be fine… He (President Xi) doesn’t want depression for his country, neither do I.” This is by no means an unfamiliar script. China has stood firm against Trump’s threats, while the latter has time and again moderated his aggressive rhetoric. But this may hold cues for India. Read Ravi Dutta Mishra’s explainer.
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Punching above weight: The Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will be contesting 29 seats in the upcoming Bihar elections as part of the NDA’s seat-sharing formula. The 29 seats, however, did not come easily. The BJP wanted to restrict smaller parties to 20-25 seats, but Chirag remained unrelenting, forcing the alliance to allocate seats based on the number of Lok Sabha seats the smaller allies contested and won last year. Besides his pressure tactics, what made the BJP give in to Chirag’s demands? Deeptiman Tiwary analyses.
⏳ And Finally…
When your feed speaks your lingo: In a world obsessed with views and reach, India’s small-town creators have another mission: preserving language and local culture. Take, for instance, Jyoti Bhatt, a YouTuber who creates skits using Kumaoni phrases she has learnt from her mother, or Pankaj Pathak, a young priest highlighting local issues with “Pahadi prank calls”. These nano-influencers are tethered to their hometown and create content that captures the poetry of everyday life. I leave you with our latest Fresh Take.
That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta
Business As Usual by EP Unny