Eminent scholar and author Daji Panshikar, known for his deep knowledge of Indian epics and contributions to Marathi literature, passed away at his residence in Maharashtra’s Thane following a brief illness. He was 92. Panshikar was widely respected for his scholarly interpretations of texts like the Mahabharata, Eknaathi Bhagwat, and Bhavarth Ramayan.

His insightful commentary and lectures earned him a prominent place in Maharashtra’s intellectual and cultural landscape. Panshikar also played a key role in the theatre world as a guiding force behind the organisation Natyasampada Natya Sanstha. His final rites will be held today at the Jawahar Bagh Crematorium.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid tribute to the renowned author, also known as Narahari Vishnu Shastri, calling him a vital link in the scholarly tradition that highlighted the richness of Indian culture and saintly literature. He also acknowledged Panshikar’s significant role in popularising interpretations of epic texts during his time.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (June 6, 2025) launched the Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag (BBA), or Indian Languages Section, to provide an organised platform for all Indian languages to move towards “freeing the administration from the influence of foreign languages”.

The Minister said that the Section will incorporate the linguistic diversity of India, adding that “our potential” can be fully exploited only when “our processes of thinking, analysis and decision-making are in our mother tongue.”

“By strengthening all the local languages of the country, we can take India to its eternal glorious position,” the Minister said. All the languages are connected to each other, he claimed.

India and Central Asian countries have expressed interest in joint exploration of rare earth and critical minerals. In the Joint Statement released following the 4th meeting of India-Central Asia Dialogue held in New Delhi yesterday under the chairship of External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, the participating nations encouraged exchange of delegations to explore new areas of cooperation in critical minerals.

Foreign Affairs Ministers of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan attended the meeting. Appreciating the outcomes of the first India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum held in September last year in New Delhi, the Ministers called upon the relevant authorities to hold the second India-Central Asia Rare Earth Forum meeting at the earliest convenience.

In the Joint Statement, India and Central Asian countries also emphasized the importance of greater financial connectivity between them, particularly through digital payment systems.

French aerospace major Dassault Aviation and India’s Tata Advanced Systems Limited have signed four agreements to jointly manufacture the fuselage of Rafale fighter aircraft in India that will mark production of the critical component for the first time outside France. It is a significant step forward in strengthening the country’s aerospace manufacturing capabilities and supporting global supply chains.

A joint press release issued by the companies said, the facility represents a significant investment in India’s aerospace infrastructure and will serve as a critical hub for high-precision manufacturing. Under the partnership, Tata Advanced Systems will set up a cutting-edge production facility in Hyderabad for the manufacture of key structural sections of the Rafale aircraft. As per the deal, the first fuselage sections are expected to roll off the assembly line in 2028. The facility is expected to deliver up to two complete fuselages per month.

As a reminder that safe food is a need rather than a luxury, June 7 has been designated as World Food Safety Day. This day serves as a reminder that food security, economic advancement, and good health all depend on safe food. It is the life-saving and community-wide benefits of safe food. In order to avoid, identify, and control food hazards, World Food Safety Day 2025 calls for action.

Every year, millions of people fall ill due to contaminated food. Neglecting food safety greatly increases the risk to public health. By making informed choices and advocating for safer food practices, we can all help build a healthier future.

THDC India Limited (THDCIL) has successfully commenced the Commercial Operation Declaration (COD) process of the first 250 MW unit of the landmark 1000 MW Variable Speed Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) at Tehri, Uttarakhand on Wednesday.

The COD commencement ceremony has been virtually graced by the Union Minister for Power Manohar Lal Khattar, senior officials from the Ministry of Power and power sector PSUs, including Secretary (Power) Pankaj Agarwal (IAS), Additional Secretary (Power) Akash Tripathi (IAS), NTPC CMD Gurdeep Singh, and THDCIL CMD RK Vishnoi, were present at the occasion.

This commissioning marks a historic milestone in India’s energy transition, establishing the Tehri PSP as the largest Pumped Storage Plant by any Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) and the first Variable Speed PSP in the country.

The government has proposed to wind down, in phases, the World Health Organization (WHO)-established National Polio Surveillance Network (NPSN), currently a countrywide network of over 200 units. Experts in the field have commented that the move would be premature and ill-advised at this stage, with India’s neighbouring countries still harbouring cases of polio.

Staff at the NPSN centres have received a communication from the WHO’s representative in India, Roderico H. Ofrin, advising them of an upcoming transition initiated by the government. The transition involves a gradual drawdown of the NPSN units each year — from approximately 280 units in 2024-25 down to 190 in 2025-26, and further to 140 in 2026-27. This is also linked with a corresponding reduction in financial support from the government, according to the communique.

Television actor Vibhu Raghave, known for his roles in Nisha Aur Uske Cousins, Suvreen Guggal, and Rhythm, passed away on June 2 after a prolonged fight with stage four colon cancer. He was 37.

Diagnosed in 2022, Vibhu had been undergoing treatment at Mumbai’s Nanavati Hospital. Despite the severity of his condition, he remained active on social media, sharing updates about his journey. In one of his last videos, he revealed the cancer had spread to his liver, spine, bones, and lungs, but he remained hopeful: “The only treatment right now is chemotherapy. Everything is going good now. Chemotherapy will shrink it.”

The news of his death was confirmed by actors Kaveri Priyam and Karan Veer Mehra.

A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have developed a new method which will help control abnormal blood clotting conditions, including Pulmonary Thromboembolism (PTE).

The team from Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry have developed an artificial metal-based nanosyme that mimics the activity of natural antioxidant enzymes which help in clotting blood.

The research paper — Vanadia Nanozymes Inhibit Platelet Aggregation, Modulate Signaling Pathways and Prevent Pulmonary Embolism in Mice — published on May 11 was made public on Tuesday.

The focus for World Environment Day in 2025 (June 5) is on ending plastic pollution. Micro-plastics represent one of the many thousands of chemical, physical and biological hazards that lurk in the air, water and living spaces for which we have neither the sensory capabilities nor sensing technologies to measure exposure and assess health risks. Thus, reducing the environmental disease burden continues to be a daunting challenge for public health.

In India, rapid economic growth is increasing the scale and the complexity of environmental exposures and the interdependencies between the living environment and lifestyles. With India already accounting for nearly 25% of the global environmental disease burden, there is a need to develop newer paradigms for environmental management that rest on integrated health risk assessments.