Union Home Minister Amit Shah today launched the Goa government’s flagship welfare programme ‘Mhaje Ghar’ Yojana at a function held at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigao.

The scheme aims to regularise houses built on government and community lands and to grant ownership rights to long-time residents. He also inaugurated projects worth more than 2,452 crores today.

Amit Shah, inaugurated the ‘Mhaje Ghar’ Yojana in the presence of Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, Union Minister of State Shripad Naik, and Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate, among other dignitaries.

Artist A Ramachandran’s work was as much a reflection of human suffering as it was a celebration of human resilience and of beauty in nature. Never divorced from his surroundings or bound by conventions, his artistic vocabulary was rooted in India and its traditions, whether it was his observations of urban realism in the early years or the more mythical narratives that dominated the later period.

Less than two years after Ramachandran’s death in February 2024 at the age of 88, a museum dedicated to him will offer a glimpse into his life and work. It will be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on October 5 at the Sree Narayana Guru Cultural Complex in Kollam.

The museum will not only realise his long-cherished dream of a space where his art could be in dialogue with the public, but also marks a homecoming of sorts for the Attingal-born artist, whose early influences included Kerala’s temple murals and the works of Raja Ravi Varma at Sri Chitralayam in Thiruvananthapuram.

The sudden demise of Zubeen Garg has left Assam, and people of India, stunned. Now, in an unexpected but powerful gesture, an island in Singapore has been renamed “Zubeen Garg Island” on Google Maps.

Fans flooded social media with screenshots, treating the renaming as both a tribute and a permanent digital memorial.

What was once St. John’s Island now bears the name of the singer who, for decades, carried Assam’s cultural pride across the world.

In a step towards modernising high-value import and export transactions in the state, the Maharashtra government has launched an electronic bond system, or ‘E-Bond’, to replace paper-based bonds. The move is part of the state government’s efforts to streamline trade processes and improve ease-of-doing business.

Maharashtra has become the 17th state to launch the ‘E-Bond’ system, replacing traditional paper bonds for import-export transactions.

The E-Bond system, introduced by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, allows importers and exporters to complete transactions digitally across all Customs offices in the state. The initiative aligns with the central government’s push for digital governance.

The two-day National Conference on Land Administration and Disaster Management commenced today at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
Addressing the inaugural session, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel emphasized the importance of digitising land records and leveraging indigenous technology tools to promote a citizen-centric approach and ensure land rights at the grassroots level.
The Chief Minister noted that the conference would play a vital role in strengthening land administration and disaster management across the country by providing a platform for states to share best practices and innovations.

The conference today witnessed the inauguration of new revenue offices, the launch of the Revenue Diary and the Integrated Land Administration System, as well as the distribution of SVAMITVA cards to members of nomadic tribe.

Organised by the Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development, the conference will include thematic panel discussions on a range of topics. A large number of stakeholders of land administration including the revenue officers from various states are taking part in the conference.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah today inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various development projects worth approximately 825 crore rupees in Kurukshetra. These included the foundation stone laying of 11 projects, including five nursing colleges, 84 residences at Jind Police Line, the inauguration of the Pediatric Rest House in Narnaul, and the 300-bed Assandh Sub-Divisional Hospital. Chief Minister Nayab Singh, Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, and Cabinet Minister Anil Vij, along with several other ministers, were also present. On this occasion, Mr Shah praised the Haryana government for working with the Spirit of Service for Good Governance.

Mr Shah also inaugurated a state-level exhibition on three new criminal laws in Kurukshetra. The Home Minister said that now, with the three new criminal laws, justice will be ensured instead of punishment, and even the poorest of the poor will be able to protect their honour and property. He said that those who fled from the country after committing a crime will also now face trial.

India ended its campaign at the ISSF Junior World Cup by topping the medals table with eight gold, 10 silver and eight bronze.

AIN (Individual Neutral Athlete) was second with five gold, three silver and four bronze. Italy was third with two gold, two silver and a bronze. Czechia had two gold and a silver, while Croatia won the other gold.

Spain, Finland, Cyprus and Iran were the other teams to figure in the medals table.

Aleksandra Tikhonova beat India’s Tejaswani 33-30 for the sports pistol gold on the final day of the competition at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, on Wednesday.

In Chess, Grandmaster P Iniyan of Tamil Nadu won the 62nd National Chess Championship in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, yesterday. He clinched the title by remaining unbeaten in over 11 rounds, with 7 wins and 4 draws. Iniyan also won a prize money of 6 lakh rupees, despite tying with 15-year-old International Master H. Goutham Krishna of Kerala, who won 5 lakh rupees, by virtue of a better Buchholz score.

Among the six players who had scored 8.5 points each, Grand Master Sasikiran Krishnan of PSPB had the highest tie-break, to finish third, winning Rs. 4 lakhs, while International Master Aronyak Ghosh of Railways finished fourth, and Grand Master Abhijeet Gupta settled for fifth place.

In Dubai, the 11th World Green Economy Summit (WGES) opened today at World Trade Centre, drawing more than 3,300 participants from over 30 countries. Policymakers, business leaders, investors, and innovators are attending the two-day gathering under the theme “Innovating for Impact: Accelerating the Future of the Green Economy.” The focus reflects Dubai’s positioning as a global hub for sustainable development and climate action.

Co-located with the Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2025), the summit highlights collaborative efforts to achieve net-zero targets and advance green transformation. Discussions on the opening day centered on technology integration, policy frameworks, climate finance, equity, and youth engagement as critical drivers of change. Sessions also underscored the importance of small and medium enterprises in pioneering sustainable technologies, alongside policy reforms to accelerate global climate goals.

India’s left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma has made history by achieving the highest-ever rating in the ICC Men’s T20I Batter Rankings. The 25-year-old reached 931 points after a stylish half-century in India’s win over Sri Lanka at the Asia Cup, surpassing Dawid Malan’s 2020 record of 919. Abhishek now leads England’s Phil Salt by 82 points, with Tilak Varma holding third place. Abhishek was named Player of the Tournament with 314 runs at an average of 44.85.

Among bowlers, India’s Varun Chakravarthy retained his top spot, while Kuldeep Yadav, Shaheen Afridi, and Rishad Hossain made significant gains.

In the same rankings update, Pakistan’s Saim Ayub replaced Hardik Pandya as the top-ranked all-rounder after claiming eight wickets at the Asia Cup. Pandya dropped to second place.