Two major political parties, BJP and Congress, continue to occupy government bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi for their offices, despite having built their own headquarters. Notices were issued by the housing ministry, but vacating has not occurred. This situation involves around six bungalows currently occupied by political parties.
Jammu & Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah questions the relevance of the INDIA bloc, suggesting dissolution if it was only formed for Lok Sabha elections. He highlights a lack of clarity regarding leadership, future strategy, and the bloc’s existence while responding to Tejashwi Yadav’s comment about its limited scope and calls for a meeting to address these concerns.
Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu highlights the issue of declining birthrates, urging household discussions on population management. He warns against low birthrates similar to South Korea and Japan. Naidu also introduces the Kuppam Vision-2029 for comprehensive development and launches a subsidised solar panel scheme for energy cost reduction.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari announced that the newly constructed 4-lane, 2.35km-long bypass to Banihal town on the Ramban-Banihal section of the national highway will open for 4-lane traffic within 15 days. Initially, 2-lane traffic will be released. The bypass was built at a cost of Rs 224.44 crore, with netizens praising the achievement.
The Common Central Secretariat's new buildings in Delhi will have canteens with two sections: an economical section with affordable meals, and a premium section with prices comparable to local restaurants. The CPWD has invited bids for these canteens, with 15,000 employees set to use these facilities. Finance and home ministries will be among the first to shift to these buildings.
Rajagopala Chidambaram, India's leading nuclear weapons designer and key figure in the Pokhran nuclear tests, passed away at 88. He contributed significantly to India's nuclear programme and scientific advancements. Tributes poured in from top scientists and political leaders, acknowledging his groundbreaking work and immense impact on India's strategic capabilities and scientific community.
Isro is preparing to launch Mission ShakthiSAT in Sept 2026, featuring 12,000 talented girls from 108 countries. The mission aims to encourage young female participation in space exploration. Selected participants will gather in Chennai to build payloads for scientific experiments. This initiative highlights the potential of untapped talent among young girls worldwide.
India has become the second highest target for cyber attacks globally in 2024, with 95 entities affected by data theft, following the United States. Key sectors impacted include finance, banking, and government. Major breaches involved millions of records and ransomware incidents were significant.