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Rajasthan
The state health department has taken action against six pharma stores for alleged irregularities in the Rajasthan Government Health Scheme (RGHS) in the past week, officials said. The FIRs have been registered against four pharma stores, while two other stores have been suspended from the scheme. Additionally, 14 personnel have been suspended for their alleged involvement in the irregularities, they said. In a statement, Principal Secretary Gayatri Rathore said the government is following a zero-tolerance policy against misuse of the scheme. Department action and recovery have been initiated against 19 beneficiaries, while more personnel have been suspended in recent cases. Rajasthan State Health Assurance Agency CEO Harjeelal Atal said two pharma stores in Bhilwara wrongly claimed RGHS payments for medicines not procured by them, causing a loss of about Rs 27 lakh to the exchequer. The cases have been registered against them, and their drug licences are cancelled, he said. Simil
A series of tragedies, passage of a stringent anti-conversion law in the state Assembly, environmental disputes and governance challenges. These are the issues that Rajasthan navigated in 2025 as it pitched long-term growth aligned with national goals. One of the gravest incidents occurred in October when a massive fire blazed through the neuro ICU in Rajasthan's largest Sawai Man Singh government hospital in Jaipur, killing six of the 11 patients on critical care support. Fourteen patients from another ICU on the same floor were also evacuated, and two of them later died. Days later, 40 LPG cylinders exploded one after another on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway after a truck carrying them caught fire following a collision with a tanker. The tanker driver was burned alive, and another man was injured. The incident revived memories of a similar collision on the same highway in December 2024 that killed 19 people. Less than a week later, a private sleeper bus caught fire in Jaisalmer, barely
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Saturday said the Aravalli mountain range is an invaluable natural heritage of the state and asserted that his government will not allow any tampering with its natural form. Chairing a review meeting of the forest, environment and mining departments at the chief minister's residence, he directed officials to launch special joint drives against illegal mining in Aravali districts in coordination with the police department. The opposition Congress has claimed that more than 90 per cent of the Aravallis will not be protected under the redefinition of the hills and will open them up for mining and other activities. Following a row over the issue, the Centre has issued directions to states for a complete ban on granting new mining leases within the mountain range. "The government's stand is clear. No new mining will be permitted in the Aravalli region. Instructions issued by the Centre in this regard will be implemented uniformly across the ..
Senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore on Sunday rejected former chief minister Ashok Gehlot's claim that the Union government's report redefining the Arvallis would destroy 90 per cent of the mountain range in the state, and claimed it lays down a stricter framework for its conservation. The Supreme Court, on November 20, 2025, accepted the recommendations of a committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on the definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges. According to the new definition, "Aravalli Hill is any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief" and an "Aravalli Range is a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other". However, Rathore noted that the 100-metre criterion is not limited to height alone. "According to the court-approved definition, all hills of 100 metres or more, their slopes, and terrain within 500 metres between two hills remain outside the mining ambit
Four people were killed and 27 others injured after a bus collided head-on with a truck on Jaipur-?Bikaner National Highway in the Sikar district of Rajasthan on Tuesday night. The sleeper bus was travelling from Bikaner towards Jaipur when they rammed into each other. The police said that four persons died in the accident, adding that 15 injured were admitted to the Sikar district hospital while 13 were given primary treatment at Fatehgarh. One critically injured person referred from the Sikar district hospital to SMS Hospital in Jaipur died during treatment, the police said. The group of passengers was returning Gujarat after visiting Jammu and Kashmir when the accident occurred, the police added.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma directed key revenue-related departments to prepare a target-based action plan to accelerate revenue collection for the 2025-26 financial year, emphasising that robust revenue mobilisation is essential for the state's development and the smooth execution of welfare schemes.Chairing a review meeting with officials from the Excise, Transport, Commercial Taxes, and Registration & Stamps departments, the Chief Minister said the government is committed to inclusive growth and the welfare of all sections of society. He stressed that improved revenue performance would directly support development projects underway across the state.During the review of the Commercial Taxes Department, Sharma said the reduction in GST rates introduced by the central government must translate into tangible benefits for consumers. He called for strict monitoring to curb tax evasion, a crackdown on fake taxpayers, and the establishment of a more transparent tax ...