New Delhi, Jul 18: Several Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, J P Nadda and Kiren Rijiju, held a strategy session at the defence minister’s residence here on Thursday ahead of Parliament’s Monsoon Session beginning from July 21.

With the customary all-party meeting being held on Sunday, the Group of Ministers are believed to have strategised over the government’s stand over a host of matters amid the opposition raising heat on issues, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.

There was no official comment on the agenda of the meeting, but sources said it was related to the session.

Besides Defence Minister Singh, Home Minister Shah, Health Minister Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju, their ministerial colleagues Piyush Goyal and G Kishan Reddy were among those who were part of the strategy session.

The opposition has been pushing for debate in Parliament on issues like SIR and Operation Sindoor.

Leading opposition parties such as the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress have alleged that SIR, which is likely to be rolled out in other states, is aimed at benefiting the BJP. They have also seized on US President Donald Trump’s claim of mediating the “ceasefire” between India and Pakistan to attack the Modi government.

The government has rejected Trump’s claim, but the opposition has been insisting on a debate and has even demanded a special session of Parliament over the issue. The government has termed Operation Sindoor a big success, which inflicted massive damage on terror sites and military facilities in Pakistan.

The BJP and its Bihar allies have backed the SIR in the poll-bound state, asserting that it is aimed at ensuring that only eligible people are allowed to vote in the assembly polls.

Singh usually chairs the all-party meeting. The Parliament session is scheduled to end on August 21.

Singh later held a separate meeting with top defence brass amid indications that he may make a statement on Operation Sindoor in Parliament.

Mumbai, July 18: Tata Sons on Friday formalised and completed the registration of a public charitable Trust worth Rs 500 crore in Mumbai, dedicated to the victims of the tragic accident of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad on June 12 that killed 260 people.

The Trust will be called ‘The AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust’, the company said in a statement, which would provide both immediate and continuing support to the dependents/next-of-kin of the deceased, to those who were injured, and to all others who are directly or collaterally affected by the accident.

“The Trust will also provide aid and assistance for alleviation of any trauma or distress suffered by the first responders, medical and disaster relief professionals, social workers and governmental staff who provided invaluable institutional support and service in the aftermath of the accident,” said the company.

Tata Sons and Tata Trusts have together pledged to contribute Rs 500 crore (with both committing Rs 250 crore each) for the Trust’s philanthropic objects, which will include ex-gratia payment of Rs. 1 crore for those deceased, medical treatment of those who suffered serious injuries, and support for rebuilding the B.J. Medical College Hostel infrastructure which was damaged in the accident.

The Trust will be managed and administered by a 5-member Board of Trustees. The initial two trustees appointed to the Board are S. Padmanabhan, a former Tata veteran and Sidharth Sharma, Tata Sons’ General Counsel.

“Additional trustees will be appointed shortly. The Trust will be funded and will commence its work in all earnestness after necessary registration with the Tax authorities and other operational formalities, currently underway, are completed,” Tata Sons said.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), in a letter to the Civil Aviation Ministry, stated that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report on the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad has failed to sufficiently consider two plausible and previously documented technical scenarios, either of which could have triggered an automated shutdown of both engines of the ill-fated Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The association has urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to include more subject matter experts in the investigation.

Pilots’ grouping ALPA-India also said that the crew of the crashed AI-171 flight made every possible effort to protect the passengers onboard and they deserve respect, not unfounded character judgements.

“The crew of AI-171 made every possible effort — till their very last breath — to protect the passengers on board and minimise harm on the ground. They deserve respect, not unfounded character judgments,” ALPA India said in a statement.

New Delhi, July 18: The income tax return filing with ITR-2 with some pre-filled data through online mode has been enabled on the e-filing portal, the Income Tax Department said on Friday.

This means that all taxpayers, including salaried individuals who have taxable capital gains, can begin their income tax return (ITR) filing online on the portal using the ITR-2, starting today.

“Kind Attention Taxpayers! Income Tax Return Form of ITR-2 is now enabled for filing through online mode with pre-filled data at the e-filing portal,” the Income Tax Department wrote on its official X handle.

Individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) who have various income streams, including capital gains, multiple home properties, salaries or pensions, crypto, or other sources (apart from business or professional income) are subject to ITR-2.

Taxpayers using Excel utilities must generate and upload a JSON file, a file format used when downloading or importing pre-filled return data into the offline utility, to the portal, while the online utility is generally considered more convenient.

Online utility allows filing ITR from anywhere with internet access and at the taxpayer’s convenience. It takes less time than manual filing, as the online system guides you through the process and pre-fills some details.

On July 11, the IT Department released the Excel utilities for ITR-2 and ITR-3 for Assessment Year 2025–26 (AY25-26), following the earlier release of utilities for ITR-1 and ITR-4.

ITR-1 is for resident individuals with income up to Rs 50 lakh, while ITR-2 applies to individuals or HUFs not eligible for ITR-1.

ITR-3 is meant for those engaged in business or profession with detailed accounting.

ITR-4 is for resident individuals, HUFs, or firms (excluding LLPs) with income up to Rs 50 lakh from business.

At the same time, ITR-5 is used by firms, Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), Association of Persons (AOPs), and others.

Meanwhile, the Department has also enabled income tax audit using 3CA-3CD and 3CB-3CD on the e-filing portal.

The due date of filing of ITRs for AY2025-26 has been extended till September 15. Earlier, the deadline was July 31.