With a view to improve rail connectivity and ease travel for commuters, the Union Cabinet approved seven projects for Ministry of Railways at a cost of around ₹32,500 crore. Spanning 35 districts in nine States - Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, the projects will add 2,339 km to the existing network.

The proposed doubling of the 96-km-long Gorakhpur Cantonment-Valmiki Nagar (Bihar) single-line section at a cost of ₹1,269.8 crore, will save two to three hours in running time for trains to Assam, Tripura, north Bihar, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and for passengers to and from Nepal, said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways. “Jute, sugar industries, maize and its products of north Bihar will be benefitted,” said Mr. Vaishnaw.

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President  Jagdeep Dhankhar paid floral tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Sadaiv Atal on his death anniversary today. Home Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Anurag Singh Thakur, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla among other prominent leaders also paid their tributes.

Earlier, in a tweet to Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he joined the 140 crore people of India in paying homage to the remarkable Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi. The Prime Minister added that India benefited greatly from his leadership and played a pivotal role in boosting our nation's progress and in taking it to the 21st century in a wide range of sectors.

The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said at a briefing. The Cabinet also approved an extension to the Digital India programme and allotted an outlay of 14,903 crore.

Cabinet approves 7 projects for Indian railways with an outlay of Rs 32,500 cr.

A total of Rs 57,613 crore has been allotted to the e-bus scheme. Of this, the central government will provide Rs 20,000 cr and the balance will be paid for by the state governments.

India's debut long-range revolver, "Prabal," is poised for launch on August 18. The revolver is manufactured by the state-owned enterprise Advanced Weapons and Equipment India (AWEIL), based in Kanpur. Distinguished by its .32 bore, the Prabal revolver boasts an impressive firing range of up to 50 meters, more than twice the reach of other rivolvers in India.

As per a ToI report, a noteworthy feature of Prabal is its side swing cylinder, marking a significant advancement in revolver design. AWEIL Director AK Maurya emphasized its key attributes, stating, "The Prabal revolver is light in weight and equipped with a side swing cylinder."

Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud on Tuesday announced a plan to expand the Supreme Court with 27 additional courts and 51 judges’ chambers.

Currently, the Supreme Court has 17 courtrooms and two registrar courts. Its judicial strength as of now is 32.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15 announced a new scheme to help urban poor build houses in cities. Under this programme, they would receive relief in interest rates and loans taken from banks to construct their houses.

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day, Mr. Modi said that weaker sections who live in cities face a lot of problems.

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) on Monday said the government has appointed R Doraiswamy as the managing director.

Doraiswamy is currently the executive director at the central office in Mumbai.

He has been appointed as managing director of LIC in place of Ipe Mini with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the office on or after September 1, 2023, and up to the date of his superannuation on August 31, 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier, a regulatory filing said.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the launch of the Pilot Project for Public Tech Platform for Frictionless Credit by Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the RBI.

The Public Tech Platform would enable delivery of frictionless credit by facilitating a seamless flow of required digital information to lenders, the Reserve Bank said.

The Platform would be rolled out as a pilot project on August 17, 2023 in a calibrated fashion, both in terms of access to information providers and use cases.

Eminent writer, scholar and academician Kandlakunta Alaha Singaracharyulu passed away due to age-related ailments at his residence in Hyderabad late on Sunday. He was 93.

The funeral was performed at the Autonagar crematorium near LB Nagar. He is survived by six children including four sons and two daughters. Senior journalist and Andhra Jyothi editor K Srinivas is his second son.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao condoled the demise of Alaha Singaracharyulu and extended his deepest condolences to the family members. He remembered the linguistic and literary efforts of Singaracharyulu from the erstwhile Nalgonda district. He also recalled his services to Telugu and Sanskrit languages as teacher, lecturer, scholar, writer and grammarian.

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday approved the conferment of 76 Gallantry awards to armed forces and central armed police forces (CAPF) personnel ahead of the 77th Independence Day. This list comprises four posthumous Kirti Chakra awardees, eleven Shaurya Chakra recipients (including five posthumous), two recipients of the Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry), fifty-two Sena Medals (Gallantry), three Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), and four Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).

The President also approved 30 Mention-in-Despatches to the Army, including to Army dog Madhu (Posthumous), and one to Air Force personnel for their significant contributions in different military operations. The operations include Operation Rakshak, Operation Snow Leopard, Operation Casualty Evacuation, Operation Mount Chomo, Operation Pangsau Pass, Operation Meghdoot, Operation Orchid, Operation Kalisham Valley, Rescue Operation and Operation Evacuation.