Japanese Prime Minister arrived in New Delhi on 1 July for her first visit to India in that role. According to a document shared by the Ministry of External Affairs, Japan is on track to invest $1 trillion across states ranging from the Northeast region to Haryana, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, among others. The newly elected BJP-led government of West Bengal has decided to drop from the midday meal programme across all government-run schools. The contract for the programme has been handed to ISKCON, a religious organisation that offers a strictly vegetarian menu. has brought into effect a new ethnic unity law that rights groups and foreign officials have warned could accelerate the forced assimilation of ethnic minorities. The world's second most populous nation officially recognises 55 ethnic minority groups, which together account for 8.9% of the country's population. Biscuits and confectionery giant Products Ltd, which owns popular brands including Parle-G, Mango Bite, and Melody, is eyeing a $1 billion-plus IPO next year. The company is targeting a valuation in excess of USD 10.5 billion. Listed rival Britannia Industries is valued at over USD 13.5 billion. The High Court has held that a person cannot be externed merely for organising protests against government policies. The court strongly criticised the Mumbai Police for issuing an externment order against a political activist who had organised and participated in peaceful protests. Quashing the order, Justice Madhav J Jamdar asked whether the police was attempting to turn citizens into "slaves of the government" by charging them with criminal cases for expressing dissent.