National News

World Bank clears ₹5,700 crore aid for Haryana's Jal Sanrakshit project

The World Bank has approved technical and financial assistance of Rs 5,700 crore under the 'Jal Sanrakshit Haryana Project', with the objective of making the state self-reliant in the water sector. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who was chairing a meeting of officials here on the Jal Sanrakshit Haryana programme, said the funds will be disbursed in a phased manner over 2026 to 2032. The funds will be utilised for large-scale works in the canal sector, he said on Saturday. According to an official statement, Saini said that out of a total of 1,570 canals in the state, 892 canals have been restored over the past 20 years, and the restoration of the remaining 678 canals is proposed to be completed in the next five years. This includes restoration of 115 canals for Rs 2,325 crore with World Bank financial assistance, 284 canals at Rs 2,230 crore from the state budget, and 279 canals at Rs 2,880 crore through he National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The Chief

Not stating arrest grounds in memo is dereliction of duty: Allahabad HC

The Allahabad High Court has observed that failure to disclose specific grounds of arrest in the arrest memo will amount to dereliction of duty and has directed that errant cops be suspended. It is high time that police officials, who are not complying with the requirements of the arrest memo and are violating the constitutional mandate, are sternly dealt with, the court said, allowing a habeas corpus petition. A bench comprising Justices Siddharth and Jai Krishna Upadhyay directed that the petitioners -- Umang Rastogi and another person -- who were arrested on December 26, 2025, from Haldwani in Uttarakhand be set free, declaring the arrest and the subsequent remand order as illegal, null and void. The High Court, in its verdict dated January 22, ordered that any police officer in Uttar Pradesh who fails to disclose specific grounds of arrest in the arrest memo shall be liable for departmental proceedings after being placed under suspension. The court observed, "Empty compliance o

Zubeen Garg's family seeks special court, fast-track trial in letter to PM

The family concluded the letter by placing their trust in the Prime Minister's office to ensure that the case is pursued with seriousness, urgency, and transparency

SIR voter roll revision to be rolled out in remaining states soon: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday said the special intensive revision of voters' lists in the remaining states will be rolled out soon as he described "pure" electoral rolls as the bedrock of democracy. On the eve of the Election Commission's foundation day -- also celebrated as National Voters' Day -- Kumar said the revision exercise is presently being conducted "smoothly" in 12 states and Union territories. The chief election commissioner said pure electoral rolls are the bedrock of democracy and added, "With this objective, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was initiated to ensure that every eligible elector's name is included in the electoral roll and that every ineligible name is removed." This exercise has been successfully completed in Bihar, and a 'special revision' of electoral rolls is separately underway in Assam, Kumar said. He said, "It (SIR) will soon be rolled out in the remaining states as well. "The most compelling testame

India must prepare now to tackle future pandemics: Niti Aayog's VK Paul

Niti Aayog member Dr V K Paul on Saturday laid down a road map for IMTECH scientists here, exhorting them to pursue research on priority pathogens that have the potential to cause future pandemics. Dr Paul said, "We prepare for war when we are not at war, and a lot of work for tackling future pandemics should be done now in microbial labs like IMTECH. Governance, surveillance, research and partnership are the cornerstones of future pandemic strategy." Developing countermeasures up to Phase II clinical trial, working in partnership with the industry, creating efficient supply chains and demonstrating capabilities and speed should be the key for India for any pandemic mitigation strategy, he said. CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh, on Saturday, celebrated its 42nd foundation day. Several events were organised on the occasion, including the foundation day lecture on "Future Pandemic Preparedness: What we must do now", delivered by Dr Paul, who is leading the

Cuba keen to deepen economic ties with India across key sectors: Envoy

Cuba is keen to deepen economic engagement with India in sectors such as agro-industry, biotechnology, healthcare, information technology, renewable energy, sports and tourism, Cuban Ambassador to India Juan Carlos Marsan Aguilera said on Saturday. Addressing a special session on India-Cuba bilateral trade and economic cooperation organised by the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) here, Aguilera said Cuba is a pioneer in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, with its biopharma products exported to 45 countries. He said Cuba is also in the process of transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy, opening avenues for cooperation in clean energy solutions. The envoy said his country allows companies the use of land for business purposes, and offers an electronic visa facility to facilitate ease of travel and investment. Highlighting Cuba's tourism potential, Aguilera said the country has 10 international airports, three cruise terminals and 10 international marinas,

Techie death case: Krishna Karunesh appointed new CEO of Noida Authority

This comes after M Lokesh, the previous chief executive officer (CEO) of Noida and Managing Director of Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC), was suspended

300 stray dogs poisoned to death in Telangana village; FIR against Sarpanch

In a fresh incident of alleged stray dogs killing in Telangana, about 300 canines were allegedly killed in Jagtial district, taking the toll to 900, animal rights claimed. The killings are suspected to have been carried out by some elected representatives, including Sarpanchs, allegedly to fulfill promises made to villagers ahead of gram panchayat elections held in December last year, to address the stray dog menace. The latest incident came to light after a complaint was lodged, alleging that 300 stray dogs were killed in Pegadapally village by administering poisonous injections on January 22. Blaming the village Sarpanch and Gram Panchayat secretary for the gruesome act, the complaint alleged that the former hired few individuals to kill the strays. Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR against the duo under relevant sections of BNS and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, police said on Saturday. Inspector Ch. Kiran said, during the inquest, around 70 to 80 dog ...

Kolkata Metro introduces return ticket facility with QR code for commuters

The Kolkata Metro Railway has introduced return ticket facility with QR code for commuters across all its corridors, an official said on Saturday. Passengers availing this facility won't have to purchase tickets from Metro counters before the return journey, he said. "This will help them save time and the ordeal of queueing before the counter on return from the destination station," the Metro Railway spokesperson said. "The return journey will have to be completed on the date written on the ticket. Passengers are requested to preserve their tickets for the return journey," he said. This facility is being rolled out on an experimental basis. The Kolkata Metro runs trains along the Dakshineswar-Sahid Khudiram, Howrah Maidan-Salt Lake Sector V, Noapara-Jai Hind Bimanbandar, Kavi Subhas-Beleghata and Joka-Majerhat corridors.

MCD to launch two 'Shri' schools per zone for meritorious students

The Delhi civic body on Saturday announced that it will set up 'MCD Shri' schools on the lines of the Centre's 'PM Shri' schools and the Delhi government's 'CM Shri' schools, according to a statement. Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh stated that in the first phase, two such schools will be established in each MCD zone, with admissions focused on meritorious students. Singh said these institutions would focus on identifying and nurturing students' abilities while preparing them for higher studies. "Education, values and discipline together form the backbone of society," he said, calling teachers the true builders of the nation for shaping young minds and instilling the right values. Civic body's Education Committee chairman Yogesh Verma said special emphasis was being placed on identifying meritorious students in MCD schools. "As many as 100 outstanding students from Class five will be selected every year, with their names and achievements in academics, sports or co-curricular activities ...

Indian crew world's most abandoned seafarers in 2025, figures show

Indians are the most abandoned nationality of seafarers for the second consecutive year as 1,125 cases of abandonment were logged at the end of 2025, a UK-headquartered global union of transport workers has found. The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) said that abandonment worldwide hit record levels last year as it released new data showing 6,223 seafarers abandoned across 410 ships. The ITF welcomed the Indian government's "blacklisting" measures to protect its seafarers from ships as a result of repeat abandonments and other bad practices. "It's nothing short of a disgrace that, yet again, we are seeing record numbers of seafarers abandoned by unscrupulous ship owners," said David Heindel, Chair of the ITF Seafarers' Section. "Every day, all around the world, seafarers face horrific violations of their human and labour rights, all so that bottom-feeding companies can make a quick buck at their expense. "It's very clear that this is a systemic issue in the indust

Naredco budget wishlist: Industry status, hike in home loan interest

Realtors' body NAREDCO on Thursday demanded that the government in the upcoming budget should enhance the deduction limit for interest on home loans to Rs 5 lakh from the current Rs 2 lakh, as well as provide industry status to further fuel the growth of the real estate sector. The association also sought change in the definition of affordable housing and suggested that the homes costing up to Rs 75-80 lakh should be treated as affordable as against the price limit of Rs 45 lakh.. In a press conference held here, NAREDCO Chairman Niranjan Hiranandani said the Centre has undertaken various measures to support the real estate sector but there is a need to do more for affordable housing segment. "We need to ensure Housing For All. Housing should get equal importance like any other infrastructure sector," he added. Hiranandani suggested the government should utilise it own land for development of affordable and mid-income housing. NAREDCO President Parveen Jain said the limit for ...

Centre halves review period for applications to conduct new drug trials

The health ministry has amended the NDCT Rules to cut approval timelines for new drug trials and testing by half, aiming to speed up innovation while easing regulatory processes for most applications

Power secretary asks discoms to cut supply costs, rethink coal sourcing

Power secretary Pankaj Agarwal has asked distribution utilities to cut electricity supply costs by securing cheaper coal, rationalising transmission charges and simplifying tariffs, amid concerns over

Delhi HC dismisses plea against lowered NEET-PG cut-off for admissions

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a public interest litigation against the lowering of qualifying cut-off marks in NEET PG -2025 for admission to postgraduate medical courses. The petitioner claimed that a low cut off would compromise the quality of medical professionals joining the specialization courses, endangering human lives. A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhayay and Justice Tejas Karia, however, said the purpose of higher education was development of further skills and not to judge the quality of doctors. It also questioned the petitioner on the numbers of doctors required in the country and said it would let seats remain vacant. "Will it be in public interest to leave the seats vacant? No, we will not permit," remarked the bench. "The only argument we can gather is (that) lowering this cut off marks will send MBBS doctors with less competence to pursue their postgraduate. What is the purpose of granting higher education? Purpose is to make them more skilled in an

Current state of economy provides ground for optimism: RBI bulletin

The current state of the economy provides ground for optimism going forward and India will remain the fastest growing major economy, notwithstanding elevated geopolitical risks and policy uncertainty ahead, a Reserve Bank bulletin said on Wednesday. The year 2026 began with an escalation of geopolitical tensions, marked by developments such as the US intervention in Venezuela, the simmering conflict in the Middle East, ambiguity surrounding the RussiaUkraine peace deal, and escalation of the row over Greenland, all of which point to still-elevated geo-economic risks and policy uncertainty ahead, it said. "Even amidst these global uncertainties, the current state of the economy provides ground for optimism going forward. The GDP growth estimates for 2025-26 indicate that India will remain the fastest growing major economy in the world," said an article published in the January bulletin. Global growth remained resilient in 2025 despite heightened uncertainties. Though elevated, global

Ticket bookings at ASI sites could go digital with BHIM UPI soon

NPCI-BHIM is in talks with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to enable BHIM UPI payments at all cultural heritage sites for booking tickets at the counter, a top official said on Wednesday. While currently the facility is available for online bookings on ASI portal, in order to further promote BHIM-UPI for such bookings, incentives in form of cashbacks are also being mulled, the official said adding that an announcement on this is expected shortly. Thereafter, the facility for payment through BHIM UPI QR code would be provided at the booking counters at the heritage sites, so visitors can make payments smoothly.At present, physical counters only accept cash payments and do not offer digital payment options. "We are trying to see how we can incentivise customers for buying tickets at Archaeological Survey of India sites. We are working with many of these entities including metros, to see how customers can be benefited from the transactions that they do with such merchants, NBS

Mega Corporation inks pact with Rajasthan govt arm for salary-linked loans

Non-banking finance company Mega Corporation on Wednesday said it has entered into a definitive agreement with Rajasthan Financial Services Delivery (RFSDL), a state government enterprise, to implement a technology-driven salary-linked advance programme for government employees. Under the agreement, Mega Corporation will deploy its digital lending platform, Lendingo, to enable fully regulated, transparent and payroll-integrated advances against salary. The partnership marks Mega Corporation's formal entry into government-anchored financial infrastructure, the city-headquartered NBFC said. The programme has been designed to provide government employees with frictionless digital access to short-term credit, while maintaining high standards of transparency, auditability and regulatory compliance, the company said in a release. "This partnership with RFSDL and the Government of Rajasthan represents a defining moment for Mega Corporation," said Kunal Lalani, Executive Director, Mega ...

SME chatroom: Para 4.15 of FTP vs ANF 7A - Procedure defeats policy intent

DGFT procedures and ANF 7A requirements risk undermining Foreign Trade Policy benefits, raising concerns over deemed exports, duty drawback claims and delayed rollout of interest subvention

Himachal govt to invite ₹100 crore bids for direct medicine purchase

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday announced that the Himachal Pradesh government would soon invite tenders worth approximately Rs.100 crore for the procurement of medicines. Presiding over a meeting of senior health department officials, the chief minister said medicines would be procured directly from manufacturers to provide world-class drugs to patients in government health institutions across the state. "If required, the state government will also make amendments to the Drugs Act to ensure quality medicines for the people to safeguard public interest," Sukhu said. The chief minister directed the officials to maintain strict quality standards for medicines provided at government facilities. The state government is implementing several reforms to improve the health sector, with a primary focus on ensuring world-class healthcare facilities remain available within Himachal, he said. Sukhu directed the Food and Civil Supplies Corporation officials to procure medicines