Morning Brief: PM Modi To Attend BRICS Summit Amid Trump’s Criticism Of The Bloc; India Puts Turkish Airlines On Notice; Services Sector Activity Hits Three-Month High; And More

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PM Modi To Attend BRICS Summit In Brazil Next Month

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to Rio de Janeiro next month for the BRICS summit, TheHindu has reported. The summit is drawing attention from the Trump administration, which views the grouping as a potential counterweight to the G-7.

Leaders from Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Egypt, and Indonesia are also expected to attend the summit. Trump has spoken out against the grouping multiple times since he returned to the White House in January this year. He has been particularly critical about BRICS' efforts to reduce reliance on the US dollar.

Modi’s visit would follow the recent conflict with Pakistan and comes amid India’s tougher stance on terrorism. Officials say any BRICS statement on cross-border terror would carry weight for India. A possible meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will also be closely watched, given China’s support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

India Puts Turkish Airlines On Notice

Further tightening the screws on Turkish businesses operating in India, the government has directed Turkish Airlines to comply with safety regulations after DGCA inspections from 29 May to 2 June at Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru revealed serious violations, including improper handling of dangerous goods such as explosives. The inspections also identified missing ground handling agreements and unauthorised personnel at Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports.

Amid heightened tensions with Turkey over its support for Pakistan and public calls for boycotts following Operation Sindoor, India has revoked the security clearance of Turkish ground handling firm Celebi, halting its operations. IndiGo and Air India are phasing out their reliance on Turkish Airlines’ aircraft and maintenance services.

India’s Services Sector Hits Three-Month High

India’s services activity hit a three-month high of 58.8 in May, slightly up from April’s 58.7, driven by strong demand, new client wins, and increased hiring, according to the HSBC India Services Business Activity Index. Export orders surged at their fastest rate in nearly 20 years, fueled by demand from Asia, Europe, and North America.

To meet rising demand, service providers boosted staffing at a record pace, with 16% of firms increasing payrolls. However, inflation pressures also intensified, pushing up input costs and service charges. Business confidence improved from a 23-month low, supported by expanded client bases and marketing efforts.

Other Developments

UPI Set To Surpass Visa In Daily Transactions

India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is on the verge of overtaking global giant Visa in daily transaction volumes, with early June figures showing UPI processing over 650 million transactions a day—surpassing Visa’s FY24 daily average of 640 million. Experts say UPI’s meteoric rise marks a turning point for real-time, home-grown payment systems, with projections suggesting it will handle 439 billion transactions annually by FY29.

Industry leaders attribute UPI’s dominance to its zero-cost, real-time model, increasing rural reach, growing merchant adoption, and international expansion. While Visa’s annual growth remains steady at 8–10 per cent, UPI’s pace signals that it may become the world’s largest payment system by volume within the next 3–4 years.

Campus Hiring Rebounds With Higher Packages

After a flat 2024, the Class of 2025 is seeing higher salary offers, with median MBA and BTech salaries rising 8.3 per cent and 4.3 per cent respectively, according to Deloitte’s Campus Workforce Trends report. Top MBA colleges are seeing median packages hit Rs 26 lakh, while BTech offers at top tech schools have touched Rs 17 lakh.

The uptick is driven by pent-up hiring demand, growing emphasis on skills, and backfilling due to attrition. Variable pay components are rising, especially in finance and consulting roles, with 97 per cent of employers offering performance-linked incentives. Pre-placement offer conversions are also up 24 per cent.

Green Clearances For Indus Basin Projects Fast-Tracked

The government is set to fast-track environmental approvals for all pending and upcoming projects in the Indus River Basin in Jammu and Kashmir. This decision follows the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam attack. Priority will be given to hydroelectric power plants and irrigation infrastructure.

Major hydroelectric projects awaiting approval include Uri Stage-II (240 MW), Kirthai-II (930 MW), and Sawalkot (1,856 MW). These projects are expected not only to boost clean energy production but also to enhance water storage through their reservoir systems. Increasing storage capacity will enable India to regulate water flow to Pakistan during the lean season, potentially impacting crop irrigation in Punjab.

From The States

Assam Police In Kolkata To Arrest Man Behind Complaint Against Panoli

An Assam Police team has arrived in Kolkata to arrest Wajahat Khan, who is evading arrest over social media posts containing alleged hate speech and derogatory remarks hurting religious sentiments. Khan had filed a complaint against social media influencer Sharmishta Panoli, whose recent arrest sparked controversy and political backlash.

Panoli’s lawyer accused the police of conducting her arrest in a "harakiri" manner, bypassing basic arrest protocols without prior contact. The 22-year-old influencer was arrested last week in Gurugram following protests over her Instagram post and has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Her detention has drawn international attention, with Dutch politician Geert Wilders condemning the arrest as an attack on freedom of speech.

Maharashtra: Minority Colleges Protest Reservation On Open Seats

A controversy has erupted in Mumbai as minority-run junior colleges face a reduction in open-category seats following the application of SC/ST/OBC reservations to these seats in the First Year Junior College (FYJC) admission process. Traditionally, 45 per cent of seats in minority institutions remain open to all candidates without reservation, but this year the admission portal shows reservations being applied to these seats.

Minority colleges argue this move contradicts Supreme Court guidelines and was implemented without prior communication from the government. A 6 May government resolution suggests that reservation applies to vacant minority quota seats, but colleges say it does not clearly mandate reservations on open-category seats. The colleges are likely to challenge the government’s decision in court.

Kamal Haasan’s New Comment Deepens Language Row

Kamal Haasan has sparked fresh controversy by thanking Tamil Nadu for backing him amid a fierce backlash over his claim that Kannada was born out of Tamil. Despite strong protests from Kannada groups and a Karnataka High Court reprimand, Haasan refused to apologize, instead using his first public event after the row to passionately praise Tamil with the slogan “Uyire, Urave, Tamizhe.”

His remarks have deepened tensions, with the Karnataka threatening to ban his film Thug Life in the state unless he retracts his statement. Critics accuse Haasan of provoking linguistic divides, while he insists his words were meant to foster unity and respect for all languages. The controversy has escalated to the point where his production house announced the film will not release in Karnataka.

You’re all caught up—until next time.