India condemning millions to stay poor,says angry L N Mittal

New York, Jun 21: Joining the likes of N R Narayana Murthy and Azim Premji to blame the Indian government for policy inaction, UK-based NRI billionaire L N Mittal has said the country is potentially condemning millions to remain in poverty by not helping industrialisation.

"Industrialisation is an important part of every major economy's development and by risking progress in this way, India is potentially condemning hundreds of millions to remain in poverty longer than previously anticipated," Chairman and CEO of world's largest steel-maker ArcelorMittal said.

Addressing the World Steel Dynamics conference here yesterday he said, "the Indian government must concentrate on smoothening the path for foreign investors ...there are understandable challenges in India relating to land acquisition and raw materials, but nevertheless the government must find a way to overcome these road-blocks more swiftly."

ArcelorMittal is waiting for six years to implement its USD 30 billion mostly in Odisha and Jharkhand states, facing problems relating to land acquisition and regulatory issues.

Mittal made these comments at a time when global rating agencies like Fitch and Standard and Poor's have downgraded India's rating outlook.

Wipro chief Azim Premji recently told global investment analysts that the country was leaderless and Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy said India was in a sorry state of affairs.

Mittal said, "I hope that they are able to re-focus and return to the higher level of growth rates,".

While in the long run, the country enjoys considerable opportunities and requires enormous infrastructure investment, "... its economy is experiencing some quite serious challenge," he said.

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Pak jail authorities say Imran Khan is alive and healthy after ‘murder’ rumours spark panic

News Network

November 27,2025

Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

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