Punjab Police today launched ‘Operation Parhar’ to dismantle the gangster network in Punjab to make the state gangster-free. 2,000 teams involving 12,000 police officials have started raids across Punjab from today to arrest gangsters. In a press conference in Chandigarh, Director General of Police of Punjab Gaurav Yadav said that the police are mapping 60 major gangsters and their 1200 associates who are involved in criminal activities.

He said that strict action will be taken against all of them. He said the complete ecosystem involving financing, logistics, safe houses, weapon supply chains and communication chains will be busted. Launching an Anti-Gangster Helpline Number- 93946-93946, he called upon the citizens to inform about gangster activities in their areas to make Punjab a safe state. He said their names will be kept secret.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday advocated wider adoption of steel slag–based road construction and repair technology, particularly in hilly and Himalayan regions, to build more durable and sustainable roads.

Addressing an event marking the signing of an agreement between the Technology Development Board (TDB) and Visakhapatnam-based Ramuka Global Eco Work Private Limited, the Minister said awareness of the technology remains limited in several hill States and Union Territories despite its proven benefits. He said that a two-day workshop on steel slag road technology will be held in Jammu and Kashmir next week, followed by similar programmes in other States and UTs.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, while virtually inaugurating the National Paralympic Powerlifting Championship on Friday, said that the past decade has witnessed an unprecedented transformation in India's sporting history, making this period a golden chapter for Indian sports.

Addressing the championship's inaugural ceremony, held via a virtual platform from COER University in Roorkee, CM Dhami said that this championship is not merely a sporting event but a celebration of India's indomitable willpower, which transforms every obstacle into a challenge and every challenge into an opportunity.

CM Dhami remarked that powerlifting symbolises discipline, patience, courage, and self-confidence. "This sport is not just about strength; it is also a unique example of resilience and self-respect."

HDFC Bank Limited has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the re-appointment of Mr. Kaizad Bharucha as the Deputy Managing Director and Whole-time Director of the bank for a further tenure of three years, effective April 19, 2026.

The private sector lender disclosed the development to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) under Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.

RBI Approval Following Board Recommendation

According to the regulatory filing, the approval was granted by the RBI vide its communication dated January 20, 2026, following an application made by the bank based on the recommendations of its Governance, Nomination and Remuneration Committee and the Board of Directors.

Mr. Bharucha (DIN: 02490648) will continue to serve as Deputy Managing Director of HDFC Bank for an additional three-year term starting from April 19, 2026.

The governments of the UAE and Telangana on Tuesday agreed to explore collaboration for the development of Bharat Future City as a global urban centre. The understanding emerged after UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri met Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026.

The discussions focused on potential cooperation in large infrastructure projects in Telangana, with particular attention on Bharat Future City.

During the meeting, Revanth outlined the Telangana Rising 2047 vision and the roadmap to transform the state into a $3 trillion economy by 2047. He explained the scope of the Bharat Future City project, which is planned as India’s first Net-Zero greenfield smart city.

Revanth said that global companies such as Marubeni and Sembcorp were already on board. “Very recently, we signed an MoU with Reliance Group’s Vantara to establish a new zoo in Bharat Future City,” he said.

A new species of hedgehog, not so far found in India, has been discovered in Jammu and Kashmir, DNA analysis and morphological studies reveal.

The hedgehog, which was found by the J&K wildlife department roaming the wild in Rajouri-Poonch sector in 2024 - the first official sighting of the animal in history in J&K - was initially believed to be a long-eared Indian hedgehog.

But the DNA and morphological studies on the animal has now proved the animal to be a totally different species not so far found in India and is called Brandt’s hedgehog (Paraechinus hypomelas).

“DNA analysis and morphometric study proved that this a new species not only for J&K but the whole India and adds to the biodiversity of the country,” said Amit Sharma, wildlife warden, Rajouri-Poonch, who was the first to report the animal and then analyse and compile a report along with other researchers of the country.

The 151-year-old first Hindu temple in South Africa’s Durban has declared that it runs a risk of discontinuing its civic services due to the pending bill of over half a million rands amid allegations of fraud.

PTI quoted the South African Hindu Maha Sabha (SAHMS) urging the community to save the Shree Ambalavaanar Alayam, declared a National Heritage Site in 1980, that was established by indentured labourers who arrived in Durban in 1860 from India.

The dire financial condition of the temple was highlighted when the temple authorities posted a notice on its Facebook page last week making the allegations while not naming any officials.

A tiny crustacean discovered from the Kavaratti lagoon in the Lakshadweep islands has now been established as a new genus and a new species. The organism, which belongs to the family Laophontidae within the Copepoda class, is so minuscule that it can be properly studied only with a microscope.

The crustacean has been named Indiaphonte bijoyi, with the generic name Indiaphonte honouring India and the species name bijoyi named after S. Bijoy Nandan, Dean, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) and a former Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University.

The new organism has been scientifically described by Neelima Vasu K., a researcher in the Department of Marine Biology at Cusat, in collaboration with Samuel E. Gómez-Noguera, a copepod taxonomist and Professor at UNAM University, Mexico. The discovery has been highlighted in a paper in the journal Zootaxa.

The 6th ASEAN-India Digital Ministers Meeting was held virtually yesterday under the theme Adaptive ASEAN: From Connectivity to Connected Intelligence. The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of ASEAN Member States and India to strengthen regional digital cooperation with a focus on digital inclusion and integration.

In a statement, the Ministry of Communications said that the meeting was co-chaired by Telecom Secretary Amit Agrawal and Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung. The Meeting welcomed the approval of the ASEAN-India Digital Work Plan 2026, which includes the themes of ICT training or capacity-building programmes, the India-ASEAN Regulators’ Conference and the deployment of telecom ICT solutions. The Meeting also welcomed the operationalisation of a special ASEAN-India Fund for the Digital Future.

It added that India highlighted its indigenous and cost-effective digital solutions, Digital Public Infrastructure such as Aadhaar, UPI and DigiLocker, and the Sanchar Saathi initiative for telecom user protection and fraud prevention. India also underlined cooperation in Artificial Intelligence through the IndiaAI Mission, with emphasis on safe and trusted AI. The meeting underlined the shared vision of India and ASEAN to build an open, secure and inclusive digital ecosystem for regional growth.

The prestigious ‘Padmapani Award’ of the 11th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival has been announced for this year’s veteran music composer Ilaiyaraaja, in recognition of his unparalleled contribution to Indian cinema.

The award comprises a Padmapani memento, a citation certificate, and a cash prize of 2 lakh rupees. The 11th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival will be held from 28 January to 1 February at Mahatma Gandhi Mission, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

The Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival is being organised with the support of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, and the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra, with co-presentation by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation, Government of Maharashtra.