The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, intended to implement one-third women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and the legislative assembly, failed to get the nod in the Lower House. The Bill fell short of the two-third majority of 352, out of the total 528 members present in the Lok Sabha.

During voting on the Bill, 298 MPs voted in favour of it and 230 against the bill. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced the results of the voting, saying that it is not possible to move forward with this legislation as it failed to get the required majority for its passage.

Following this, the women MPs of the NDA alliance staged a protest in the Parliament complex against the opposition parties.

The Punjab government on Thursday joined hands with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar to develop a 'structured data system', aimed at strengthening the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in identifying and preventing crime.

Under this partnership, IIT Ropar will develop an advanced software with capabilities such as data analysis, voice recognition, and dashboard-based monitoring. These tools will support real-time tracking and intelligence-led policing, said an official statement.

The initiative aims to support ongoing anti-crime campaigns like 'Gangstran Te Vaar' and the anti-drug drive 'Yudh Nashiyan Virudh'.

The Meghalaya cabinet on Thursday announced the indigenous Khasi and Garo languages as the official languages of the state, in addition to English.

Calling the decision “historic”, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma announced the approval of the Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance, 2026 by the state cabinet. The move comes amid a long-standing demand for the inclusion of Khasi and Garo – the languages of the state’s two largest tribes – in the Eight Schedule of the Constitution. Currently, all official business in the state is carried out in English.

“With this landmark decision, Khasi and Garo can be used in government communications. In due course, necessary amendments will also be made to relevant acts, including the Meghalaya State Legislature (Continuance of English Language) Act, 1980. Once these amendments are completed, our legislators will be able to speak and debate in Khasi and Garo during assembly sessions, alongside English,” the CM said in a statement.

India on Friday confirmed it has withdrawn its bid to host the COP33 climate summit in 2028, but the reasons behind the surprise decision remain unclear, with the government offering only a broad explanation so far.

"Yes, India has withdrawn. We have taken several factors into account. But India remains fully committed to meeting its climate change commitments," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly briefing.

"We continue to build on our green agenda and, at the same time, see how we can best foster great climate change action worldwide with our international partners," he added.

India has set a target to scale up its nuclear power capacity from the current 8.8 gigawatt (GW) to 100 GW by 2047, implying an over ten-fold increase, Central Electricity Authority (CEA) Chairperson Ghanshyam Prasad said on Friday.

"A report was made on how do we really achieve 100 gigawatts of nuclear energy by 2047. Today, there is a capacity of 8.8 gigawatt. We have to increase it to 100 gigawatt. That means more than 10 times we are going to increase. It's going to be a good pace at which it has to be developed," Prasad said.

Elon Musk's SpaceX will launch the Rosalind Franklin to Mars in late 2028. The rover will hitch a ride to the Red Planet aboard the company's Falcon Heavy rocket.

Meanwhile, Nasa has cleared a major milestone for one of the most ambitious Mars missions of the decade, approving the implementation phase of the Rosalind Franklin Support and Augmentation (ROSA) project.

The move strengthens collaboration between Nasa and the European Space Agency on the long-awaited Rosalind Franklin rover, which had been derailed due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

The White House has launched a new federal initiative to accelerate the use of nuclear power systems in space, setting ambitious deadlines for reactors that could power missions on the Moon, in orbit, and eventually on journeys to Mars.

The guidance, issued by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), says space nuclear systems are essential for America's long-term presence beyond Earth.

In a public statement, OSTP said: “Nuclear power in space will give us the sustained electricity, heating, and propulsion essential to a permanent presence on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”

India and China have taken another step forward in rebuilding engagement, holding their first bilateral consultations on Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) matters in New Delhi. This is another high level engagement amid continued momentum on resolving the long-pending Line of Actual Control (LAC) dispute.

The two-day dialogue between delegations led by India’s SCO National Coordinator, Ambassador Alok A Dimri, and his Chinese counterpart, Ambassador Yan Wenbin, focused on aligning positions within the SCO framework, but its timing underscores a larger strategic shift. The engagement comes as deliberations over the West Asia crisis continue. It is also important how India and China have been cautiously moving from confrontation to calibrated cooperation following years of military standoff in eastern Ladakh.

The Government has notified a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to be set up by Tata Semiconductor Manufacturing Private Limited at Dholera, Gujarat, marking the establishment of India’s first chip fabrication plant.

Spread over 66.166 hectares, the SEZ will focus on electronic hardware, software and IT/ITeS, and is expected to generate employment for around 21,000 people. The facility will feature enabling infrastructure and a dedicated approval mechanism aimed at streamlining operations and logistics.

The development comes as part of the government’s broader push to strengthen India’s semiconductor and electronics manufacturing ecosystem through reforms in the SEZ framework. Amendments to the SEZ Rules, 2006, notified in June 2025, reduced the minimum land requirement for such projects, introduced flexibility in encumbrance norms, allowed inclusion of free-of-cost supplies in net foreign exchange calculations, and permitted domestic sales in the domestic tariff area on payment of applicable duties.

The Central Government has brought the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, which provides for 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, into force with effect from April 16, 2026, even as Parliament is debating fresh constitutional amendments relating to delimitation and the implementation of women's reservation.

The Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification yesterday, appointing April 16, 2026, as the date on which the provisions of the Constitution (106th) Amendment 2023 shall come into force.