Page 3 - National News

Gujarat Metro ridership jumps fourfold in 3 years; hits 0.15 million daily

With Phase-2 completed, the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro now spans 68 km with 53 stations, reducing dependence on private vehicles

Maintenance societies lack locus to join developer insolvency cases: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that homebuyers' societies or Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) ordinarily constituted for maintenance and management of common facilities in a housing project cannot intervene in the insolvency proceedings of the developer company. A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahdevan, which upheld the insolvency proceedings related to Takshashila Heights India Private Ltd under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code of 2016, said if creditors elect to invoke the provisions of the code, they must do so with a genuine willingness to pursue revival of the corporate debtor. It said, "Should revival not be their objective, the Code cannot be converted into a tool for expedient recovery; alternative statutory remedies, including under SARFAESI or other applicable laws, remain available in accordance with law." The bench upheld the rejection of intervention application by National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) of Elegna Co-operative Housing and ...

EU leaders Antonio Costa, Ursula von der Leyen to be Republic Day guests

Top European Union leaders Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen will be the chief guests at India's 77th Republic Day celebrations, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday. Costa and von der Leyen will undertake a three-day visit to India beginning January 25 and the two sides are expected to announce firming up of the much awaited India-EU trade pact during their trip. India and the European Union (EU) have been strategic partners since 2004. The bilateral ties have expanded and deepened across a wide range of areas, particularly following the historic visit of EU College of Commissioners to India in February last year, the ministry said. At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be on a state visit to India from January 25 to 27, it said. The MEA said the two European leaders will be the chief guests at the 77th Republic Day celebrations.

Resolve all land disputes in Uttarakhand within month: CM to officials

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday directed officials to resolve all land disputes in the state within a month, asserting that such matters must be brought to a "zero level" through an intensive campaign. The chief minister instructed Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan and Director General of Police Deepam Seth to ensure that pending cases in every district are settled within the 30-day deadline to provide relief to the public. Dhami noted that land disputes directly affect the lives of ordinary citizens and can lead to problems in law and order and social harmony. He said the government's priority is to ensure a swift, transparent and equitable resolution to these matters. The chief minister directed officials to pay special attention to sensitive cases and warned against any negligence during the campaign. To ensure targets are met within the stipulated timeframe, Dhami asked the chief secretary to review the progress of the campaign every week. This regular monitoring wi

Centre appoints senior IPS officer Rakesh Aggarwal as NIA chief

Aggarwal, a 1994 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, is currently special director general in the anti-terror agency

Delhi may allow one-month window to register unregistered e-rickshaws

In an effort to improve road safety, the Delhi transport department is considering giving unregistered e-rickshaw operators a one-month window to complete vehicle registration, officials said on Wednesday. Initially introduced as an eco-friendly transport option, e-rickshaws have increasingly become a problem on city roads due to their slow movement, contribution to traffic congestion and safety concerns. According to the official data of the Delhi government, 204,131 e-rickshaws are registered on the Vahan dashboard as of January 2026. However, unofficial estimates put the actual numbers much higher. "A plan is under consideration to give one month's time since the order is issued to unregistered e-rickshaw owners to get registered so that livelihood is also maintained along with safety on roads," the transport department said in reply to a question in the Delhi Assembly's recent winter session. The date for the start of the scheme has not been decided yet. Earlier this month, the

Delhi HC asks DUSIB to use tents, subways as shelters near hospitals

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a series of fresh directions in the suo motu PIL concerning the acute shortage of night shelters for patients and attendants outside major hospitals in the capital, permitting impleadment of several additional authorities to comprehensively address the crisis.A Division Bench led by Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay, along with Justice Tejas Karia, allowed the impleadment of the Centre for Holistic Development and directed that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences be impleaded through its Additional Director (Administration). The Court further ordered the impleadment of the MCD, NDMC, L & DO, DMRC, PWD, DDA, Delhi Jal Board, and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi.The Bench also directed that Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital be impleaded as parties.Referring to its earlier order dated January 12, the Court reiterated its concern over the "human ...

Zubeen Garg drowned, was intoxicated and without life jacket: S'pore police

Garg, 52, was with a yacht party on September 19, 2025 and initially wore a life jacket but removed it and later declined to put on a second one offered to him

Gems, jewellery sector seeks duty cuts, GST relief ahead of Budget FY27

In a bid to strengthen India's gem and jewellery competitiveness amid a challenging trade landscape, the gems and jewellery sector has sought targeted duty rationalisation, procedural reforms and reduction in GST in the upcoming Union Budget 2026-27. The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), in its pre-Budget recommendations to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has made several proposals to make Indian exports more cost-efficient and position India as a diamond trading and value-discovery centre. "The global gem and jewellery trade is undergoing a major transformation. With high US tariffs, evolving consumer preferences, and shifting global supply chains, it is imperative that India maintains its competitive edge," GJEPC chairman Kirit Bhansali said. Bhansali further noted that the pre-Budget proposals are focused on making Indian exports more cost-efficient, strengthening SEZ operations, and improving policy frameworks that encourage investment and skill ...

India faces second highest economic burden due to diabetes: Study

India faces the second highest economic burden due to diabetes of USD 11.4 trillion -- the United States bears the highest costs at USD 16.5 trillion, and China the third at USD 11 trillion, a new study has estimated. Researchers, including those from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the Vienna University of Economics and Business in Austria, calculated the economic impact of diabetes across 204 countries from 2020 to 2050. Global costs amount to around USD 10 trillion, excluding informal care provided by family members -- about 0.2 per cent of the world's annual gross domestic product (GDP), findings published in the journal Nature Medicine show. Factoring in informal care amounts to up to USD 152 trillion, or 1.7 per cent of the world's yearly GDP, the study estimates. "Caregivers often drop out of the labour market, at least partially, which creates additional economic costs," author Klaus Prettner, professor of macroeconomics and digitalisation at th

Ensure faster grievance redressal, claims settlement: FinMin to insurers

Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju on Tuesday asked Public Sector Insurance Companies (PSICs) to ensure timely resolution of public grievances and to provide seamless, prompt claims processing, in order to provide efficient services to customers. Chairing a meeting to review the financial performance of PSICs for FY25 and the first half of FY26, Nagaraju emphasized that PSICs should focus on increasing profitable business and devise strategies to reduce loss ratios, while maintaining market share and consistently strengthening their retail portfolios. The meeting was attended by Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) CEO and MD R Doraiswamy, General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) ED Hitesh Joshi, New India Assurance Co. Ltd (NIACL) CMD Girija Subramanian, National Insurance Co. Ltd (NICL) CMD Rajeshwari Singh Muni and United India Insurance Co Ltd (UIICL) CMD B S Rahul. Besides, Oriental Insurance Co Ltd (OICL) CMD Sanjay Joshi and Agriculture Insurance Company of Indi

Poll promises turn deadly: 500 stray dogs killed in Telangana in a week

In a fresh incident of stray dog killings, around 200 canines were allegedly killed in Telangana's Kamareddy district, taking the toll to about 500 in the last one week, police said on Tuesday. Sources from villages said (some) elected representatives, including sarpanches, allegedly carried out the killings to "fulfill promises made to villagers" during the recent gram panchayat elections to tackle the stray dog menace. Police said a case has been registered against six persons, including five village sarpanches, for their alleged involvement in the incident. Earlier, police in Hanamkonda district had booked nine persons, including two women sarpanches and their husbands, in connection with the alleged killing of around 300 stray dogs in Shayampet and Arepally villages. "Ahead of the gram panchayat elections held in December last year, some candidates promised villagers they would tackle the stray dog and monkey menace. They are now allegedly fulfilling' those promises by killing

Land-for-jobs case: CBI says Lalu's acts not part of official duties

Opposing Lalu Prasad Yadav's petition to quash its FIR in the land-for-jobs scam case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday said the decisions made by RJD supremo on appointments in Railways did not fall under the discharge of his public duties as railway minister, and only the general managers could make such decisions. Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the CBI, submitted this before Justice Ravinder Dudeja to argue that there was no need to obtain prior sanction under section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act to proceed against Lalu Prasad as his conduct could not be said to be within the ambit of "discharge of his official functions or duties". "Our case is, in discharge of his official duties or functions, he (Lalu) was not required to make any recommendation or take a decision. Therefore, whatever decision or recommendation is made, it was not in discharge of his official duties. The recommendation or decision could only be taken by the general ...

MoSPI plans transition to chain-based approach for IIP data compilation

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has proposed transition towards the chain-based method of index of Industrial Production (IIP) compilation, as it is undertaking a base-revision exercise of macroeconomic data. In the process of revising the base, the MoSPI is revisiting methodologies, exploring new data sources, and incorporating changes following comprehensive consultations with experts, academicians, users, and other stakeholders, an official statement said. Traditionally, the IIP was compiled using a fixed-base Laspeyres framework, in which sectoral and industry weights remain unchanged until a base-year revision. However, it stated that, with production shifts in response to demand, technological changes, and policy shifts, some industries expand, while others decline or disappear, and entirely new industries or production lines within an industry emerge. Therefore, fixed weights become progressively less relevant, thereby affecting the efficacy o

UPI user base can more than double to 1 billion: RBI Deputy Governor

There is a lot of scope and opportunity for expanding digital payment in the country and UPI has the potential to more than double to 1 billion users from the current base of 400 million, Reserve Bank Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar said on Tuesday. About 50 per cent of global retail payment transactions are done in India but even then in terms of the number of digital transactions per person, it has to catch up with many advanced economies. Citing an example of Kenya, the RBI Deputy Governor said, digital transaction per person in Kenya is roughly double than what India has. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an RBI-0promoted body which created and operates UPI, had launched a USSD-based service to enable UPI access for feature phone users, within months of the launch of the main platform for smartphone users in 2016. " The active users of UPI are about 400 million. We are targeting 1 billion users. So...there is a lot of scope, there is a lot of distance that we nee

MUDA case: Court reserves order on Lokayukta B-report against CM

The Special Court for Public Representatives on Tuesday reserved its order on a 'B-report' (closure report) in the MUDA land allotment case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi B M and others to January 22. The Lokayukta police had filed a B-Report against Siddaramaiah and others citing lack of evidences', which the complainant Snehamayi Krishna had challenged. On Tuesday, the case came up before the Special Court where the former MUDA Commissioner Dinesh Kumar was present as an accused. The Special Public Prosecutor of the Lokayukta submitted the synopsis of relevant portions of the case. Krishna, who was present as the party-in-person, filed a written submission before the court. The Court reserved its order on B-Report on January 22. It also ordered for the physical appearance of the accused on January 17. In the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in

SC delivers split verdict on Section 17A of anti-graft law, refers to CJI

The Supreme Court on Tuesday delivered a split verdict on the constitutional validity of a 2018 provision of the anti-graft law which mandates prior sanction for initiating a probe against a government servant in a corruption case. While Justice B V Nagarathna said Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act is unconstitutional and needs to be struck down, Justice K V Viswanathan held the provision as constitutional while adding that sanction must be decided by an independent authority like the Lokpal or the Lokayukta. Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, introduced in July 2018, bars any enquiry or inquiry or investigation against a public servant for recommendations made in discharge of official duties without prior approval from the competent authority. The case will now be placed before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant for forming a larger bench to hear the matter for a final decision. "Having regard to the divergent opinions expressed by us, we direct th

Over 3,500 EWS applicants not admitted to Delhi schools in 2025-26: Govt

Over 3,500 applicants under the Economically Weaker Sections category could not be admitted to Delhi schools in the 2025-26 academic year, largely due to factors such as parents declining seats because of distance from schools and non-completion of documentation, according to official data. The data from the Directorate of Education (DoE) stated that 29,706 EWS students were admitted in 2025-26 against 33,212 applications, while 3,506 cases of non-admission were recorded. In the preceding academic year, 202425, 26,197 students secured admission out of 28,799 applicants, with 2,603 students not admitted, the data revealed. The department said that non-admission in several cases occurred as parents declined allotted seats due to long commuting distance, children were already enrolled in other schools, or required documents were not submitted within the stipulated time. Some applicants were absent during regional-level document verification or could not produce valid certificates, ...

Cold wave persists in Delhi for third day; IMD issues orange alert

Cold wave conditions prevailed over the national capital for the third consecutive day on Tuesday as temperatures dipped further and are likely to persist over the next day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The IMD said that Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 21.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, which was 1.7 degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 3.0 degrees Celsius, plunging 4.4 notches below the seasonal average. According to the weather department, the minimum temperature of around 3 degrees Celsius recorded at several stations made it the coldest January morning in the national capital in three years. Delhi had last recorded a lower minimum temperature of 1.4 degrees Celsius on January 16, 2023. Station-wise data recorded at 5.30 pm showed that Safdarjung Observatory, the city's principal weather station, recorded a maximum temperature of 21.6 degrees Celsius. Lodhi Road logged the highest maximum at 22.0 degrees Celsius, while Ayanagar

SC directs govt to frame rules to implement 25% EWS quota under RTE Act

Observing that granting admissions to poor kids in educational institutions "must be a national mission", the Supreme Court directed authorities on Tuesday to frame rules to ensure that the 25 per cent quota in admissions for children from economically and socially weaker sections in private unaided non-minority schools is implemented. The court said the grant of admission to kids from the EWS category is "an obligation of the appropriate government and the local authority. Equally, courts, be it constitutional or civil, must walk that extra mile to provide easy access and efficient relief to parents who complain of denial of the right". The bench was dealing with aspects relating to difficulties faced by EWS category students in getting admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which has mandated 25 per cent reservation for such children in private unaided non-minority schools. A bench of Justices P M Narasimha and Atul S Chandurkar was hearing a special leave petition fil