Page 3 - National News

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

K'taka bags ₹1.53 trillion in new investment proposals since GIM: Minister

Karnataka has attracted new industrial investment proposals worth Rs 1.53 lakh crore in the 11 months following the Global Investors' Meet (GIM) held in February last year, Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil said on Saturday. The investments are over and above the commitments secured during the GIM. Ahead of his visit to the Davos economic summit as part of a high-level state delegation, Patil said the government's investment outreach was a continuous process and not limited to the investors' meet. He said leading companies had shown interest in sectors, including manufacturing, renewable energy, data centres and global capability centres (GCCs). The proposals are expected to be submitted to Karnataka Udyog Mitra shortly, after which approvals will be processed expeditiously. Of the total proposed investments, Rs 66,293 crore is in manufacturing and industry, Rs 20,913 crore in wind and solar power generation, Rs 12,500 crore in GCCs, and Rs 6,350 crore in data ...

MCD records highest-ever property tax collection, crosses ₹2,700 crore

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has recorded its highest-ever property tax collection, crossing Rs 2,700 crore by December 31 in the 2025-26 financial year. The figure marks a jump of about 45 per cent over collections during the same period last year, officials said on Saturday. Officials said that the increase has been accompanied by a sharp rise in the number of taxpayers. The total count of registered property taxpayers has surged from 10.31 lakh in 2024-25 to 12.43 lakh this year, an increase of nearly 21 per cent. Civic officials attributed the rise to a combination of taxpayer outreach, tighter enforcement and the response to the tax amnesty scheme, SUNIYO, introduced for 2025-26. "Under the scheme, property owners can get interest and penalties waived if they clear the current year's tax along with dues from the previous five years," an official statement read. Officials said the scheme encouraged many owners who had earlier filed incorrect property tax returns or

Delhi govt revises ration card norms, raises income cap to ₹1.2 lakh

The Delhi government has decided to raise the annual income cap to Rs 1.20 lakh from the previous Rs 1 lakh, to enable more households to be eligible for ration cards. According to official data, due to the absence of clear rules for several years, more than 3,89,883 applications for ration cards have remained pending in Delhi, and over 11,65,965 people are still waiting for food security benefits. Data verification revealed the income details of around 6,46,123 people did not match the prescribed norms. About 95,682 individuals had remained in the system for a long time without availing any benefits. Nearly 23,394 duplicate names were found, while in 6,185 cases, benefits were recorded in the names of deceased persons. Around 56,372 people had themselves requested to opt out of the system. Owing to all these reasons, a total of more than 8,27,756 vacancies were created; these slots will now be filled with those who have been waiting for years for ration card or food security ...

Delhi Customs seizes ₹2.89 cr gold from 3 Myanmar nationals at IGI airport

Three Myanmar nationals have been booked after Delhi Customs officers seized over 2 kg of gold worth Rs 2.89 crore from them at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, officials said on Saturday. The three male passengers, who arrived from Yangon, Myanmar, on January 14, were intercepted while crossing the green channel at the international arrivals hall of Terminal 3, an official statement said. "On thorough personal search and baggage examination, 13 gold bars, were recovered from them. The weight of 13 uneven rectangular shaped gold is 2158 grams," the statement said. According to the officials, the gold recovered was appraised at a tariff value of Rs 2.89 crore. The gold has been seized under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962 and three passengers were placed under arrest according to the provisions of Section 104 of the Customs Act, 1962, it added.

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