India has proposed a three-part truce plan aimed at reducing hostilities in the Russia-Ukraine war, with the proposal focusing on energy infrastructure, Black Sea trade and commercial shipping.

New Delhi conveyed the proposal to Ukraine during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Kyiv last month, people familiar with the development said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed that Kyiv had received the proposal and described it as the most comprehensive among four international initiatives under consideration for ending the conflict.

What is in India’s three-part truce plan?

India’s proposal seeks action on three key areas linked to the continuing conflict.

First, it calls for an end to attacks on energy facilities and other infrastructure.

Second, the plan seeks to ensure that grain and energy continue to move through Black Sea ports, protecting important commodity flows.

Third, it proposes ending attacks on commercial shipping travelling through the Black Sea.

The proposal therefore brings together energy infrastructure, trade and maritime security as part of a broader ceasefire framework.

How does Ukraine view India’s proposal?

Ukraine has said it is willing to consider different formats for a truce.

Mr Sybiha said any agreement should go beyond combat operations and address attacks on energy and port infrastructure as well as the situation in the Black Sea.

Ukraine has also received ceasefire proposals from Turkey, Egypt and the United States. According to diplomatic sources, India’s plan differs from the Egyptian and Turkish proposals, which primarily focus on maintaining the flow of grain from the Black Sea by seeking an end to attacks on commercial shipping.

The US proposal, meanwhile, focuses on an “energy ceasefire”.

India steps up peace efforts

India has maintained that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward for resolving conflicts.

Earlier this week, Mr Jaishankar said New Delhi had moved beyond advocacy and was holding practical discussions with both Moscow and Kyiv on reducing hostilities.

He said India had been discussing issues including the safety of Black Sea shipping, grain and energy exports and possibilities for avoiding attacks.

The proposal comes as India seeks a more active role in diplomatic efforts to reduce the intensity of the Russia-Ukraine conflict while continuing its engagement with both sides.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised its benchmark repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.5% on Wednesday, October 7, as policymakers respond to mounting inflationary pressures and a challenging global economic environment.

The decision marks the central bank’s first interest rate increase in nearly four years. The six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), headed by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, took the decision during its latest monetary policy review.

The rate increase follows a period in which the RBI cut the repo rate by a cumulative 125 basis points in 2025, bringing it down from 6.5% to 5.25%. The central bank had subsequently kept the rate unchanged through several policy reviews.

Why the RBI raised the repo rate

Rising inflation has emerged as a key concern for the central bank. India’s consumer inflation rose to 4.82% in August, moving above the RBI’s 4% target for the third consecutive month.

Higher crude oil prices and food costs have added to concerns about further price pressures. The geopolitical situation and a weak monsoon have also increased uncertainty around the inflation outlook.

India’s dependence on imported crude oil makes the economy vulnerable to increases in international energy prices, which can raise import costs and contribute to domestic inflation.

Against this backdrop, the RBI’s decision signals a shift towards tighter monetary policy. The central bank’s approach will remain important for determining how it balances price stability with the need to sustain economic growth.

What the repo rate hike means

The repo rate is the interest rate at which the RBI lends money to banks against eligible securities. Changes in this rate can influence borrowing costs across the financial system.

A higher repo rate can make borrowing more expensive for banks and, depending on how lenders adjust their rates, for households and businesses as well.

For borrowers with loans linked to external benchmarks, the increase could put upward pressure on interest payments and equated monthly instalments (EMIs). However, the actual impact will depend on individual loan terms, benchmark arrangements and lenders’ decisions.

Higher interest rates can also moderate demand in the economy, helping to contain inflationary pressures over time.

RBI’s growth outlook remains important

Despite concerns about inflation, India’s economic growth has remained resilient. The RBI has projected GDP growth of 7.1% for the 2026-27 financial year, according to .

The latest policy decision therefore comes at a time when policymakers must weigh rising prices against the risks that tighter financial conditions could pose to economic activity.

The RBI’s assessment of future inflation, growth and liquidity conditions will remain important in determining the direction of monetary policy in the coming months.

What to watch after the policy decision

Markets and borrowers will be watching the RBI’s guidance on future interest rate decisions, its assessment of inflation risks and its approach to liquidity management.

The 25-basis-point increase marks a change from the rate-cutting phase of 2025 and the subsequent pause. Whether further increases follow will depend on the evolving economic situation and the central bank’s assessment of price stability and growth.

The repo rate decision is therefore an important development for India’s monetary policy, with potential implications for borrowing costs, financial markets and the wider economy.

With protests continuing for the third day on Sunday against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Election Commission of India while saying it cannot go by newspaper reports alone.

The bench headed by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant was hearing the pleas that CEC Gyanesh Kumar was taking unilateral decisions in the poll body even when the other Election Commissioners differed. The bench said if law wasn’t followed, it can undo it, referring to the plea which highlighted that the EC should have followed collective decision making.

The main grouse against the unilateral functioning of the Election Commission is that in the garb of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls over 13 crore citizens have been disenfranchised.

With the plea due for hearing on Monday, Sunday saw pitched confrontations between protesters, some led by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and other Left student bodies and some led by Cockroach Janta Party, with Delhi Police personnel. Many women protesters charged Delhi Police personnel without nametags groped them.

Several student leaders including AISA’s Neha Bora were picked up by police when they were on their way to Jantar Mantar to protest demanding the sacking or resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. With the yellow amaltas, a winter flower, yet to bud, the police’s yellow barricades seemd to be in full bloom blocking access to the EC headquarters, Nirvachan Sadan on Ashoka Road.

The students are said to have gotten together near Andhra Bhavan circle on Ashoka Road and were making their way to Jantar Mantar. But police personnel were deployed to prevent them from going to Jantar Mantar, which was the seat of the July protests that revolved around the demand for the sacking of Dharmendra Pradhan following the successive leaks in NEET UG.