RRP Defense Ltd on Friday said it has received a purchase order worth ₹29.83 crore from state-run Bharat Electronics Limited for the supply of optical lens components.

As per the delivery schedule specified in the purchase order, the company will initially supply sample quantities prior to commencement of bulk deliveries, RRP Defense said in a statement.

The first lot of supplies is scheduled within 8-10 weeks from the date of receipt of the order, followed by phased monthly deliveries extending up to December 2026, it added.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda said that India has undertaken one of the world’s largest screening and early detection efforts to eliminate tuberculosis under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme.

Mr. Nadda said this while addressing an event on Ministerial Perspectives on Lung Health Screening during the 79th Session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

He underlined that the country has expanded active case finding among vulnerable populations through house-to-house outreach, mobile screening teams, community campaigns and focused drives in high-risk areas.

The Minister further informed that India has significantly scaled up modern diagnostics to detect TB and other lung diseases.

Anti-Terrorism Day is being observed today across the nation. The objective behind the observance of this day is to wean away the youth from terrorism and the cult of violence by highlighting the sufferings of common people and showing how it is prejudicial to the national interest.

The day is marked by a pledge-taking ceremony among other activities. It was on this day in 1991 that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi fell to the designs of terrorists.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sharing a social media post, has paid tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on being conferred with the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Agricola Medal.

In a social media post, Mr Singh said that the honour recognises Mr Modi’s remarkable leadership in strengthening food security, advancing sustainable agriculture, and driving rural development.

He added that from empowering farmers and modernising agricultural infrastructure to ensuring welfare reaches the poorest, India’s agricultural transformation under PM Modi has earned worldwide recognition.

The Defence Minister also congratulated the Prime Minister for being conferred with the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit and Sweden’s Royal Order of the Polar Star.

Bees rarely get attention until something goes wrong—when crop yields fall, flowers bloom without fruit, or honey becomes harder to find. Yet these tiny pollinators quietly hold together some of the most important systems that sustain human life.

From the food on our plates to the balance of natural ecosystems, bees play a far larger role than most people realize.

The Department of General Administration has issued orders appointing N.S.K Umesh, Director of General Education, as the Additional Secretary and Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister of Kerala.

An IAS officer of the 2015 batch of Kerala cadre, Mr. Umesh has previously served as the District Collector of Ernakulam. He currently holds the additional responsibility as the Managing Director of Kerala Financial Corporation.

A team of scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on May 18 shared a report of the findings of the ‘Hop’ experiment conducted by the Vikram Lander of Chandrayaan-3 and the Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) on the moon.

The researchers noted, “While we often call it lunar soil, the more apt term to be used is lunar regolith. The lunar regolith is actually shattered rock, tiny, jagged glass-like shards that are abrasive and cling to everything.”

They also pointed out that the complex structure of regolith has unique geo-technical and thermophysical properties. They said the top 2-6 cm regolith is found to be highly cohesive or sticky and hyper-porous, which can act as a thermal blanket.

The Indian Army on Wednesday launched the multinational military exercise – PRAGATI 2026 – at the Umroi Military Station in Meghalaya, bringing together troops from India and 12 partner nations for an intensive counter-terrorism and joint warfare drill.

Taking place in the rugged semi-mountainous and jungle terrain of the Northeast, the exercise comes at a time when India is increasingly positioning itself as a key regional security partner in the Indo-Pacific and South Asian region.

PRAGATI is a multinational military exercise hosted by India that focuses on enhancing cooperation among friendly foreign armies, particularly in counter-terrorism operations, tactical coordination, intelligence-sharing and interoperability during joint missions.

The 2026 edition is being conducted at the strategically located Umroi Military Station near Shillong in Meghalaya, an area chosen because its dense forests, hills and difficult terrain closely resemble conditions in which modern counter-insurgency and anti-terror operations are often carried out.

The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has earned a place among the world’s top five water utilities at the Global Water Summit 2026 in Madrid, marking a major international recognition for the city’s water management efforts.

Global recognition

According to the report, BWSSB is the only Indian water utility to feature in the top five across three major award categories at the summit, held from May 18 to May 20 in Madrid. The board was recognised for its work in water conservation, wastewater recycling, reuse and sustainable urban water governance, which it describes as its “five pillars” approach.

The Assam government has shelved the survey of a proposed satellite township near an upcoming semiconductor plant in Morigaon district following protests from two ethnic groups.

The Tata Group is setting up the ₹27,000-crore semiconductor plant, expected to produce up to 48 million semiconductor chips per day.