The National Task Force on Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Higher Educational Institutions has officially launched its dedicated website.
Constituted under the Chairmanship of Former Justice Shri Ravindra Bhat, the Task Force aims to develop comprehensive, recommendations to improve student wellbeing and prevent suicides in HEIs.
The Chairperson emphasized that the National Task Force, constituted by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, is distinct from previous committees and task forces, as it is not confined to any particular institution or category of institutions. Rather, it brings all types of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country within its purview.
He further highlighted the Task Force’s diverse composition, comprising experts from fields such as social sciences, disability rights, gender studies, clinical psychology, community medicine, and others.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has approved four new components under the existing Central Sector Scheme of Special Development Packages (SDPs) for Assam and Tripura with a total outlay of Rs.4,250 crore.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal for implementation of the ‘Multidisciplinary Education and Research Improvement in Technical Education’ (MERITE) Scheme in 275 technical institutions comprising 175 engineering institutions and 100 polytechnics.
The objective of the scheme is to improve the quality, equity and governance in technical education covering all States/UTs by implementing interventions aligned with the National Educational Policy-2020 (NEP-2020).
It is a ‘Central Sector Scheme’ with total financial implication of Rs.4200 crore for a period from 2025-26 to 2029-30.
Out of Rs.4200 crore, there will be an external assistance of Rs.2100 crore from World Bank as loan.
Background:
Sustainable and inclusive growth of the country depends largely on technological advancements which require persistent efforts to upgrade academic and research standards.
Research fosters innovation which is fundamental to addressing modern day challenges and creates a long lasting positive impact.It is with this approach that MERITE scheme has been formulated in collaboration with the World Bank. The reforms envisioned in the higher education sector in the National Education Policy-2020 are the basis of interventions designed for the scheme
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has approved compensation amounting to Rs.30,000 crore to the three Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (IOCL, BPCL & HPCL) for the under- recoveries incurred on sale of domestic LPG. The distribution of the compensation within the OMCs will be done by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
The compensation will be paid in twelve tranches.
Domestic LPG Cylinders are supplied at regulated prices to consumers by the public sector Oil Marketing companies namely, IOCL, BPCL, HPCL.
The international prices of LPG remained at high levels during 2024-25 and continue to remain high.
However, to insulate consumers from fluctuations in international LPG prices, the increase in cost was not passed on to consumers of domestic LPG which led to significant losses for the three OMCs. Despite the losses, the Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies have ensured continuous supplies of domestic LPG in the country at affordable prices.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the targeted subsidy of Rs.300 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 9 refills per year (and proportionately pro-rated for 5 kg cylinder) to the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) during FY 2025-26 at an expenditure of Rs 12,000 crore.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana: Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched in May, 2016 with an objective to provide deposit-free LPG connection to adult women from poor households across the country. As on 01.07.2025, there are about 10.33 crore PMUY connections across the country.
All PMUY beneficiaries receive deposit-free LPG connection which includes Security Deposit (SD) of Cylinder, Pressure Regulator, Suraksha Hose, Domestic Gas Consumer Card (DGCC) booklet and installation charges. As per the existing modalities of Ujjwala 2.0, the first refill and stove is also provided free of cost to all beneficiaries.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister has approved construction of 4-lane Marakkanam – Puducherry (46 km) in Tamilnadu. The project will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a total capital cost of Rs.2,157 crore.
Currently, connectivity between Chennai, Puducherry Viluppuram & Nagapattinam is dependent on existing 2-lane National Highway 332A (NH-332A) and associated State Highways, which experience significant congestion due to high traffic volumes, especially in densely populated stretches and key towns along the corridor.
To address these challenges, the project will upgrade approximately 46 km of NH-332A from Marakkanam to Puducherry to a 4-lane configuration. This will decongest the existing corridor, improve safety, and cater to the mobility needs of rapidly growing towns such as Chennai, Puducherry Viluppuram & Nagapattinam.
The project alignment integrates with 2 major National Highways (NH-32, NH-332) and two State Highways (SH-136, SH-203), providing seamless connectivity to key economic, social, and logistics nodes across Tamil Nadu.
Additionally, the upgraded corridor will enhance multi-modal integration by connecting with two Railway Stations (Puducherry, Chinnababusamudram), two Airports (Chennai, Puducherry), and one Minor Port (Cuddalore) thereby facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region.
The Archaeological Survey of India operates six (06) dedicated Excavation Branches located at Nagpur, Delhi, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Vadodara and Mysore, which are mandated to carry out archaeological exploration and excavation works annually.In recent years, ASI Circles have also been authorized to conduct excavations, further augmenting the scale and scope of such activities.
The budget allocation for exploration and excavation has witnessed a substantial increase under the Government of India. In 2024-25, an amount of ₹15.00 crore has been allocated under this head - an increase of about 2.3 times over the allocation of ₹6.53 crore in 2014-15.
In the current year alone, ASI has been undertaking excavations at 22 sites across the country. Excavation is a meticulous and time-intensive process, with excavated materials, including artefacts and pottery, undergoing detailed scientific examination and analysis.
The budget provision and expenditure under the head “Other Charges (Exploration & Excavation) – 16.01.49” clearly demonstrate that the funds allocated have been utilised in a planned and accountable manner, with expenditure closely aligned to sanctioned allocations.
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY - NRLM) is being implemented in all States and UTs (except Delhi and Chandigarh) with one of the objectives of increasing household income.
The Government had set a target of mobilising 10 crore rural households into SHGs under the DeendayalAntyodayaYojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY–NRLM).
As of June 2025, a total of 10.05 crore women have been mobilised into 90.90 lakh Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the country.
As of June 2025, 4.62 crore MahilaKisans have been covered. The community institutions have deployed more than 3 lakh trained livelihood community resource persons to support the MahilaKisans.
Additionally, 1,285 women-owned producer companies and 1.95 lakh producer groups have been promoted to support the MahilaKisans in gaining market access. To strengthen the livelihoods basket of MahilaKisan households 6,000 Integrated Farming Clusters have been allocated to states.
Indigenous Peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live.
In order to raise awareness of the needs of these population groups, every 9 August commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982.
The upcoming International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples will put a spotlight on this through its theme, Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures.
Spread the word! Let’s leave no one behind. #IndigenousPeoples
The Indian Railway has achieved a new milestone by successfully conduct a trial run of Asia’s largest, a 4.5 km long freight train ‘Rudrastra’. The trial run was conducted from the Ganjkhwaja railway station in Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh to Garhwa in Jharkhand covering a distance of 209 km in 5 hours 10 minutes at an average speed of 40.50 km per hour.
Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Uday Singh Meena said now freight trains will be sent from The Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Division (DDU) of East Central Railway to the Dhanbad Division for quick loading and transportation of goods.
Rudrastra is Asia’s longest freight train, which will make freight transportation and loading quick.
This will not only save resources but also time. Mr Meena said Rudrastra was prepared by adding three long haul (two goods trains each) racks.
A total of 345 wagons were included in it, with 72 tonnes of goods loaded in one empty wagon. He informed that two engines were attached in front and one with each rack after every 59 bogeys. In all, seven engines were used.
