Page 4 - Rajasthan

Rajasthan's journey in 2025: Tragedies, tough laws and governance tests

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 govt to equip multi-storey buildings in state with solar energy

Rajasthan plans to power multi-storey buildings with solar energy via virtual net metering, aiming to cut power bills, boost green energy use and create jobs

Will not allow tampering with Aravalli's natural form: Rajasthan CM

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 ..

Over 55K tourists likely to visit Rajasthan for New Year celebrations

Tourism experts estimate that during the December-January period, tourism-related business is expected to touch over ₹500 crore

RBSE Rajasthan board 2026 announces class 5th, 8th datesheet; check PDF

The Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan, has announced the timetable for the Class 5 and Class 8 board exams 2026. The reports say that the exams will be held across designated exam centres

Tourist footfall in Rajasthan rises 11.71% as govt steps up promotion

Every year, millions of visitors from India and abroad travel to the state's ancient and historic religious sites

BJP slams Gehlot's 'Save Aravalli' campaign, assures mining will not expand

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

Urea availability row in Rajasthan escalates as farmers queue up

As Rabi sowing nears completion in Rajasthan, farmers queue up for urea, triggering a political row between the state government and the Congress over fertiliser availability

RPSC lecturer posts to remain vacant as candidates fall short of 40% cutoff

An analysis of the results revealed that out of 24 subjects included in the recruitment, school lecturer posts in 11 subjects are unlikely to be filled

ECI to release SIR draft rolls today: Here's how to check your name

India's voter rolls are undergoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to remove duplicate, fake, or ineligible names, including those of deceased or shifted voters

Vedanta to invest ₹1 trn in Rajasthan to double production: Anil Agarwal

Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal said the latest investment will be used for the establishment of a zinc park to boost small and medium zinc manufacturing industries in the state

4 dead, 27 injured as bus and truck collide on Jaipur-Bikaner highway

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 CM steps up action against overloading and illegal liquor

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 ...

Rajasthan govt's cities among 100 chosen to push rooftop solar expansion

"Under the program, awareness activities and vendor training will be conducted in these cities to encourage people to install rooftop solar systems," the official added

eNAM 2.0 rollout hits trouble as Rajasthan flags data-migration glitches

Rajasthan has red-flagged major issues in the eNAM 2.0 pilot, with data-migration failures forcing mandis back to manual trading during peak harvest season

Rajasthan first state to digitise 100% of voter rolls under SIR: Official

Rajasthan on Saturday completed 100 per cent digitisation of its electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), becoming the first state in the country to do so, Chief Electoral Officer Navin Mahajan said. He said that coordinated effort and meticulous execution by BLOs, assistant staff, supervisors, district election officers and other staff engaged in the exercise were behind this success. "Rajasthan now also leads the country in voter mapping, with more than 97 per cent of the mapping work completed. As a result, only 3 per cent of voters will need to furnish documents during the claims-objections phase," he said. On average, he said, only about 30 voters per booth will be required to submit documents. He said high-quality mapping has made the SIR process simpler, more transparent and greatly reduced repeated verification for voters. Mahajan said that the dedication of field staff, especially BLOs and panchayat-level employees, was central to this achievement. He s

Tourists flock to Rajasthan as Delhi chokes on post-Diwali pollution

Hotel occupancy is hovering between 70 and 80 per cent, out of which domestic tourists account for 95 per cent

SC seeks Rajasthan govt's reply on plea against anti-conversion law

The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Rajasthan government on a plea challenging the validity of the provisions of the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2025. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the state government seeking its response on the plea filed by the Peoples Union For Civil Liberties and others. The bench tagged the plea with separate pending petitions raising similar issue. Senior advocate Sanjay Parikh appeared for the petitioners. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that similar matters are pending before the apex court and this plea be tagged with them. The petitioners have sought a declaration that provisions of the Act are "arbitrary, unreasonable, illegal and ultra vires" the Constitution and also violative of Articles, including Article 14 (equality before law) and Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty). On November 17, the top court sought response from the Rajast

Rajasthan ensuring availability of fertilisers in every block: Agri min

"We are also working with utmost vigilance throughout the state to prevent black marketing and hoarding of fertilisers," Meena said

Rajasthan govt plans to take action against sale of non-Rera projects

According to Rera regulations, if a promoter fails to submit three quarterly progress reports, the system automatically initiates a non-compliance process. The project can also be declared lapsed