Delhi recorded the highest number of road accident deaths in 2023, with 1,457 fatalities from 5,834 mishaps, making it the worst-affected city for the second consecutive year, according to data released by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The ministry published its ‘Road Accidents in India 2023’ report on Thursday. It revealed that nearly 173,000 people died on Indian roads in 2023, averaging one fatality every three minutes. This represented a 2.6 per cent rise in deaths compared with 2022, while the number of injuries increased by 4.4 per cent to more than 460,000.

Bengaluru recorded 915 deaths, making it the second-worst affected city in the country for successive years. Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of accidents (67,213), while Uttar Pradesh recorded the greatest number of deaths (23,652).

President Droupadi Murmu today presented the SCOPE Eminence Awards 2022-23 to Public Sector Enterprises in New Delhi.

Addressing the gathering, President Murmu said, Central Public Sector Enterprises CPSEs Public Sector Enterprises have been a powerful instrument of economic growth and social inclusion since independence.

She said, CPSEs also laid the foundation for industrialisation, infrastructure development, social upliftment and balanced regional development. President Murmu said, apart from economic and financial contributions, CPSEs have given priority to balanced and inclusive growth, keeping national goals paramount. The President said, CPSEs will play a crucial role in achieving the national goal of building a developed India by the year 2047.

She said, CPSEs are playing an effective role in the direction of building Atmanirbhar Bharat and they are making significant contributions to the Make-in-India campaign.

Troops of the Indian Army’s Spear Corps and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) undertook four days of firepower drills under simulated battlefield conditions in central Arunachal Pradesh.

The exercise named Achook Prahar was conducted from August 25 to 28, the Army stated on Friday (August 29, 2025).

“The exercise served as a joint validation of operational preparedness under simulated battlefield conditions. Mortars, machine guns, rockets, and grenades were employed to validate synergised response, accuracy, and battlefield effectiveness,” it said.

India today won a ‘double gold’ in the Men’s 25m Standard Pistol individual and team events at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship at Shymkent in Kazakhstan.

In the indivdual event, Rio de Janeiro Olympian Gurpreet Singh secured the gold medal with Amanpreet Singh winning the silver. The duo also led the country to victory in the team event alongside Harsh Gupta to bag the yellow metal. The other gold medals of the day were won in the 50m Rifle Prone

Junior team and 25m Standard Pistol Junior team events.
With this, India’s overall medal tally has risen to 82, including 44 golds, 20 silver and 18 bronze.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the two-day national conference of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Parliamentary Committee at Bhubaneswar this morning. The Conference is being attended by Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh, Union Ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Chairman of the Committee Faggan Singh Kulaste and other dignitaries.

30 members of the Parliamentary Committee on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare are also attending the Conference. More than 120 delegates from across the country, including the Chairman and Members of such committees of Parliament and 19 states, have come together on one platform. The theme of the conference is ‘The Role of Parliamentary and Legislative Committees in welfare, development and empowerment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes’.

The Conference, which is being held for the first time outside Delhi, will also hold deliberations on constitutional safeguards for Scheduled Tribes and measures undertaken by various states for tribal development. Earlier on the day, the Lok Sabha Speaker also visited an exhibition being held at the Conference venue showcasing Odisha’s rich tradition of handicrafts, handlooms, culture, and art.

The 17th Edition of BioFach India will be held from tomorrow to 1st September at the India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida. The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry said that over twenty-seven Farmer Producer Organization from the North-Eastern Region will showcase their wide range of products under the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for the North-Eastern Region at the event.

The event will bring together organic producers, buyers, businesses, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the globe to discuss opportunities and challenges in the organic sector. The Ministry said that the participation of FPOs at the event marks a significant step towards strengthening their presence in national and global markets.

Meanwhile, it will increase the visibility of North-Eastern organic products, build partnerships, and highlight the region’s rich agricultural ecosystem.

The Ministry of Power has released the State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2024 today. The Index plays a pivotal role in institutionalising state-level data monitoring, tracking energy footprint management, promoting best practices, and fostering competitive improvements in energy efficiency across states.

According to the index, the top performing states are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Tripura. The Ministry said that the sixth edition of the Index features an enhanced implementation-focused framework with 66 indicators across seven key demand sectors. These include – buildings, industry, municipal services, transport, agriculture, electricity distribution companies and cross-sector initiatives.

It further added that the SEEI 2024 assesses the energy efficiency performance of 36 Indian States and Union Territories for the fiscal year 2023-24.

The Department of Posts (DoP) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a private geospatial software company to support the development and implementation of DIGIPIN across India. As part of the MoU, DoP will utilise the software company’s mapping platform and products.

Furthermore, the company will provide base maps for integration into the Know Your DIGIPIN application for enhanced user visibility and enabling accurate generation of DIGIPINs based on geographic location. This will also allow users to search for and navigate to locations using applications.

Addressing the gathering after the MoU signing in New Delhi, DoP Member (Operations), Harpreet Singh, said that the partnership will enhance DIGIPIN’s reach and accessibility.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended his greetings to the people on the occasion of Nuakhai, the harvest festival of western Odisha.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Wishing everyone a joyous Nuakhai. This cherished festival is a reminder of our deep gratitude to the farmers whose hard work sustains us all. May there be good health, prosperity and happiness in every home. Nuakhai Juhar!”

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi also conveyed his wishes, describing Nuakhai as a symbol of Odisha’s rich agricultural heritage and traditions. He further emphasized the cultural importance of Nuakhai Bhetghat, which fosters harmony and brotherhood among communities.

Earlier this month, the Assam Cabinet decided that a new flyover being constructed in the heart of Guwahati would be named after Prithu, a 13th century Kamrup ruler. This, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, would be “a timeless reminder that Assam has always stood as the defender of Bharat’s soul.”

“When Bakhtiyar Khilji destroyed Nalanda, the symbol of our ancient civilisation, he believed India’s spirit could be broken. But in the sacred soil of Assam, Maharaja Prithu of Kamarupa rose in valour and struck him down, avenging that desecration,” he said.

Today, Prithu is being projected as an Assamese icon, much like Ahom general Lachit Borphukan, who is credited with defeating the Mughal Army in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat. But unlike Borphukan, who has long been central to Assam’s historical and cultural imagination, Prithu’s emergence as a historical figure of note is relatively recent.