OPINION, P10 WELL BEING FE LINES Addiction to online gaming, recognised as a mental health condition, is becoming a growing concern Page 9 Following AI trends can be thrilling but risky as well Page 6 GAMING ADDICTION IS REAL, AND IT’S RUINING YOUR LIFE Reading from the same hymn book ACROSS THE AISLE, P CHIDAMBARAM VOL XXIV NO. 48 Living in an artificial world SPOTLIGHT Follow us on Twitter & Facebook. App available on App Store & Play Store WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM WEARING THE GREEN CARD FINANCIAL EXPRESS ON SUNDAY NEW DELHI SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2025 22 Pages, `12 (Patna `12, Raipur `12, Srinagar `15) F R O M : A H M E D A B A D , B E N G A L U R U , C H A N D I G A R H , ● Be it operators or facilities, travel for disabled is tricky SUGANDHA MUKHERJEE New Delhi, September 27 WHEN DELHI-BASED Neha Arora(41)wasgrowingup,family holidays were not a given. Her mother uses a wheelchair, her father is blind, has hearing loss and Parkinson’s disease.As a young professional, she assumed money was the barrier. “I thought once I started ■ LEISURE, P7 Flailing festivals India’s movies are winning awards at global events, but its own international film festivals are in decline ■ WORDS WORTH, P4 Ceaseless conflict The so-called dawn of long peace post Cold War was a misplaced notion, as the world is engulfed by wars on many fronts today FPI outflows from India highest in Asia shares worth $9.5 bn in South Korea and $5.6 bn each in Indonesia and Malaysia. Compiled by Kishor Kadam 15.0 Japan 0.8 Sri Lanka S -0.1 1 Taiwan P Philippines Thailand T -4.4 -1.0 V Vietnam -4.6 K O L K A T A , L U C K N O W , M U M B A I , ■ WHO ■ By 2031, India will have 194 million people over 60, a 41% increase from 2021 ■ On long haul flights, nearly 1 in 3 travellers request wheelchair assistance ■ Countries estimates 15% of the global population lives with disabilities, but India officially records just 2.1% like Sweden, Japan have systemic accessibility laws, while in India it relies on operators and individuals earning, I could save and take my parents travelling,” she recalled.“ButIrealiseditwasn’t money that was stopping us, it ■ In 2023–24, India’s travel sector contributed `15.73 lakh crore (5.22% of GDP) and supported 84 million jobs, yet accessibility lags was the lack of accessibility, facilities,infrastructure for the disabled and elderly, plus societal stigma around disabled N E W D E L H I , P U N E Indiatobeproduction hubfortelecom:PM FE BUREAU Mumbai, September 27 (From left)Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma with communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia,TCS chairman N Chandrasekaran and BSNLCMDARobert Jerard Ravi, in Guwahati on Saturday X with ‘swadeshi’ (indigenous) technology,hesaid.Modiadded the launch of the‘Swadeshi’4G stack marked India’s entryinto a league of nations including Denmark, Sweden, South Korea,andChina,whichmanufacture homegrown telecom equipment. Continued on Page 2 REUTERS Washington, September 27 THE TRUMP administration is consideringimposingtariffson foreignelectronicdevicesbased on the number of chips in each one, according to three people familiar with the matter, as it seekstodrivecompaniestoshift manufacturing to the United States. According to the plan,whichhasnotpreviously been reported and could change, thecommerce department travel industry has long overlooked travellers with disabilities and seniors.With the country’s elderly population ● Servicing of existing clients not to be affected ● Launches BSNL 4G network to link remote areas IN A MAJOR boost to telecommunication infrastructure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated BSNL’s ‘Swadeshi’ 4G stack, marking India’s entry into a coveted league of nations that manufacture telecom equipment. Modi, who launched the facility on the occasion of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s silver jubilee, also commissioned over 97,500 mobile 4G towers, including 92,600 4G technology sites of BSNL. These towers have been built at a cost of around `37,000 crore people travelling.” Fromhalf-finishedrampsat heritage sites to hotels with token‘accessible rooms’,India’s projected to surge 41% by 2031,theabsenceofbarrier-free tourism is no longer a niche issue, but a growing economic and social blind spot. As we observe World Tourism Day, hailing the industry and rise of tourism,this is a section that is clearlyoverlooked. The gap is vast. The World Health Organization estimates that 15% of the global populationliveswithsomeformofdisability. India’s official figure is just 2.1% of the population, a number widely regarded as a severe undercount. Continued on Page 2 HDFCBank’sbranchinDubai toldnottoonboardnewclients ENTERS LEAGUE OFEQUIPMENTMAKERS HDFC BANK said its Dubai International Financial Centre branch has received a decision notice from Dubai Financial ServicesAuthority(DFSA),barring it from onboarding new clients. The bank cannot offer services such as advising on financial products, arranging dealsininvestments,arranging credit, and advising on credit andarrangingcustody,itsaidin an exchange filing.The bank is also barred from “soliciting, onboarding or engaging in any financial promotions with any newclient”. However, the restriction does not apply to the servicing of existing customers or for onboardingclientswhohadearlier been offered or provided financial services but were not formally onboarded at that time.TheDFSAcitedissueswith onboarding of customers at the DIFCbranch,andothermatters forthe restrictions. “The bank has already initiated necessary steps to comply withthedirectivesintheabovereferred notice and is committed toworkwith the DFSAin its ongoing investigation and to promptly remediate and address the DFSA concerns at theearliest,”thebanksaidinthe exchangefiling.Itfurthersaidit does not see any material impact from this directive. As on September 23, the DIFC Branch has 1,489 onboarded customers, including joint holders,the bank said in the filing. AMATCHTHATCAN SWING BOTHWAYS SANDIP G Dubai, September 27 UNDER THE harsh evening sun, the groundsmen are trimming the rough edges of the grass on the outfield.Thebroadcasthandsareuntangling the wiry knots of their gargantuan cameras and reassessing their perch. The security personnel are combing every square inch of the arena and fixing the barricades. Pantrystaff are chit-chatting,before the managergives them a proverbial rap on the knuckles. The unquiet tension of hosting an India-Pakistan final is visible at the Dubai International Stadium. PM Narendra Modi in Odisha on Saturday ANI would impose a tariff equal to a percentage of the estimated value of the product’s chip content. The commerce department did not immediatelyrespondtocomment. Continued Page 2 INDIA VS PAK AT ASIA CUP Continued on Page 2 on ■ Dubai International Cricket Stadium, UAE 8 pm IST ■ Asia Cup wins: India: 8 Pakistan: 2 ■ Pakistan will be gunning for revenge ■ But unbeaten India look firm favourites Maruti’s Victoris battles for midsize SUV supremacy Feb Mar Apr sold 133,382 units, averaging nearly16,700unitsamonth.In comparison, the Grand Vitara has managed 68,166 units, or May 2025 Jun Jul Aug about 8,500 units a month, almost half the Creta’s tally.But with the Victoris joining the line-up,analystsbelieveMaruti Total Jan Hyundai Creta/EV 5,743 15,924 Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara 6,373 16,898 Sales (in units) 6,828 15,786 MARUTI SUZUKI’S LATEST midsizeSUV,theVictoris,hasset the stage foran intense competition with Hyundai,which has dominated this segment with the Creta for nearly a decade. With the Victoris joining the Grand Vitara,Maruti now has a twin-offensiveaimedatunseatingHyundaifromitsleadership ZOOMING PAST 5,197 14,860 VIKRAM CHAUDHARY New Delhi, September 27 position in the most fiercely contested SUVcategory. At the Victoris’s price announcement on September 15, Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer, marketing & sales, Maruti Suzuki India, made the company’s ambition clear. “In the entry SUV segment,we are market leaders … ouraspiration is to become the leaderin midsize SUVs aswell,” he said. While he avoided setting a timeline, the intent was clear that Maruti is ready to give a fight to Hyundai. The Grand Vitara alone has struggled to match the Creta’s sales numbers. This calendar year(January–August),theCreta 7,154 17,016 ● Hyundai’s Creta will have serious competition now 10,418 18,059 ATLEAST 30 persons, including children, were feared dead in a stampedelike situation in actorpoliticianVijay’s crowded rally in Karur on Saturday. Over 30 people fainted. TOURISM GAP 10,669 16,317 M Malaysia -5.6 Indonesia I -5.6 S South K Korea -9.5 India I Over 30 dead in Karur rally K O C H I , Next:Tariffsonelectronics? -27.3 THE MINISTRY of heavy industries has rolled out operational guidelines for deployment of EV public charging stations, allocating `2,000 crore for deployment of public charging stations across the country. ■ PAGE 3 H Y D E R A B A D , PRESS TRUST OF INDIA Jharsuguda(Odisha), September 27 FPI investments in $billion in past 1 year Norms for `2K-cr EV charging infra READ TO LEAD India slow in its journey to accessible tourism WHAT’S INSIDE INTHE PASTyear, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have net sold shares worth $27.3 bn in India, marking the largest outflow inAsia, Bloomberg data showed. Barring Japan andTaiwan, FPIs reduced their exposure.They sold C H E N N A I , 15,784 18,522 P U B L I S H E D Why sustainable luxury demands premium image, higher price points Page 5 68,166 133,382 could realistically narrow the gap. Gaurav Vangaal, associate directorat S&PGlobal Mobility, told FE that Maruti’s dual approach may finally make the battle competitive.“The Grand Vitara sells almost half of Creta, and with the Victoris, expect that number to double.In such ascenario,MarutiSuzukiwillbe able to catch upwith the Creta,” hesaid.However,healsowarned ofapotentialpitfall,whichisthe risk of one Maruti SUV cannibalising the other. “It will be neck-and-neck over the next fewmonths,” he added. What might tilt the balance is Maruti’s distribution network.The Grand Vitara is sold throughNexa’s600-odddealerships,while the Victoris will be retailed via the mass-market New Delhi Arenanetwork,whichhasmore than 3,000 outlets. A former Maruti executive explained the significance,“Even if one Arena dealer sells just three units a month, that alone adds up to nearly 10,000 units, which, whencombinedwiththeGrand Vitara’ssales,couldbeenoughto outpacethe Creta”. Banerjee,though,dismissed fears of cannibalisation. He stressed that despite sharing platforms and engines,the two SUVs target distinct audiences. “The Grand Vitara appeals to a maturebasewithsubtlecolours and a sophisticated presence. Continued on Page 2