Current Affairs

Spain's Suber Group to invest $2 billion in semiconductor industry in MP

Spain's Submer Group here on Monday announced an investment of $2 billion (₹19,000 crore) in the semiconductor industry in Madhya Pradesh, a senior state government official said.

This would create nearly 5,000 direct employment opportunities, he said.

"A $2 billion investment (₹19,000 crore) in the semiconductor industry was announced today by Spain's Submer Group at the MP Tech Growth Conclave 3.0: GCC - Data Centres and Semiconductors," the official said in a statement.

An email requesting land allotment for a data centre project was received, and 15 acres of land were allotted in the Acharpura industrial area within six days, he added.



Drone sample testing is cutting TB diagnosis costs from ?9,451 to ?91 in Telangana’s Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district

A drone flight costing patients almost nothing could replace journeys that once left suspected tuberculosis (TB) patients spending an average of ₹9,451 out of their own pockets. A study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bibinagar in Telangana has found that transporting sputum samples by drone reduced patients’ average expenditure to just ₹91 while cutting diagnosis time from 15 days to five days.

The study, published in the ‘International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease’ evaluated the impact of using drones to transport sputum samples from remote villages to TB testing centres in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district under the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) i-DRONE initiative.



KDA alleges imbalance, disparity in allocation of new tehsils in Ladakh UT

A day after Ladakh Lt Governor V K Saxena approved the creation of 17 new tehsils in the Union Territory and increased the number of tehsils from 15 to 32, a Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) leader has alleged glaring imbalance and disparity in the distribution of tehsils.

KDA co-chairman Sajjad Kargili claimed that the erstwhile Leh district has been allocated 12 new tehsils while the erstwhile Kargil district, comprising Zanskar, Drass and Kargil, has been allocated only 5 Tehsils.

Kargili alleged that the disparity is difficult to reconcile with objective parameters. He termed the move 'brazen injustice' and said that, though Kargil has a larger population and more villages than the other five newly created districts combined, its administrative needs appear to have been overlooked.



Sahitya Akademi Award winner Poomani passes away

Sahitya Akademi Award-winning and one of the most distinguished figures in Tamil literature, Poomani (Pulithurai Manickavasagam) passed away at the age of 79 years after a prolonged illness on Sunday night. Expressing deep grief over the demise Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, on Monday, announced that as a mark of respect and in recognition of Poomani's invaluable contribution to literature, the government will accord State honors for his final journey.

In a statement on X, the CM said Poomani enriched Tamil literature through his remarkable works, which vividly captured the essence of the Karisal landscape, the subtle realities of the lives of marginalised communities, and the profound testimonies of history.



NABARD’s Gramodyam to unlock rural India’s entrepreneurial potential

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) launched Gramodyam, an entrepreneurship development programme designed to unlock the entrepreneurial potential of rural India on its 45th Foundation Day on Sunday.

Launched by Shaji KV, Chairman of NABARD, this initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The initiative will be implemented through Institute for Industrial Development.

Gramodyam seeks to identify, nurture, mentor and empower aspiring entrepreneurs by equipping them with industry-relevant skills, entrepreneurial competencies and access to essential support systems. By enabling young innovators to convert ideas into viable enterprises, Gramodyam aims to transform local opportunities into engines of sustainable economic growth and employment generation.



Central Vista should be called Kartavya Bhawan area

UNION MINISTER for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal on Sunday said the Central Vista area, which covers the stretch from Rashtrapati Bhawan to India Gate, should now be called the “Kartavya Bhawan area”, named after the new secretariat buildings.

Speaking at the Central Public Works Department’s 172nd foundation day event, the Minister said that like Vice-Regal Lodge and Council House built by the British were renamed Rashtrapati Bhawan and Parliament after Independence, the entire area should now be called Kartavya Bhawan area.

The government is in the process of redevelopment of the area, with 10 new secretariat buildings proposed. So far, the government has completed three of the buildings and named them Kartavya Bhawan 1, 2 and 3, while also renaming Rajpath as Kartavya Path.



Assam CM announces ‘ruthless’ anti-drugs drive

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday (July 12, 2026) announced a “ruthless’ drive against drug trafficking and said inter-State coordination to break the backbone of the drug cartels improved after the installation of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal.

Launching a State-level drugs disposal campaign at the 14th Assam Police Battalion headquarters in Nalbari district’s Daulasal, he said seized drugs worth ₹472.51 crore would be destroyed across nine districts. Daulasal is about 75 km west of Guwahati.

He initiated the incineration of a portion of the seized heroin, cannabis, methamphetamine, and other drugs and drove a road roller to crush bottles of illegal cough syrups.

Mr. Sarma told journalists that a joint approach between the Centre and Assam would help track the illicit movement of substances, identify history sheeters, nab traffickers at the borders before they enter the State and prepare a strong case to prosecute them.



MY Bharat launches nationwide youth competitions under anti-drug campaign; registrations begin July 13

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, through Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat), has announced the launch of district-level competitions under the nationwide ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat’ campaign, with registrations opening from July 13.

The initiative aims to mobilise young people in the fight against substance abuse through creative expression while advancing the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. It seeks to build on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to transform the fight against drug abuse into a nationwide people’s movement.

The competitions will be organised in a three-tier format, beginning with the district level, followed by state-level contests and culminating in a national finale at the National Youth Summit in New Delhi.



Amit Shah congratulates Gandhinagar on setting Guinness World Record by planting over 3.61 lakh saplings in one hour

Union Home Minister on Sunday congratulated the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), more than 25,000 volunteers and the people of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency after they created a Guinness World Record by planting more than 3.61 lakh saplings in a single hour using the Miyawaki afforestation method.

The record was achieved as part of a large-scale public plantation campaign undertaken across the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency under the nationwide ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative.

Congratulating all those involved, HM Shah said the achievement reflected exemplary public participation, meticulous planning and a collective commitment towards environmental conservation.

He said the campaign, launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has transformed environmental protection into a people’s movement by encouraging citizens across the country to actively participate in tree plantation drives.



ONGC board approves plan for 1.75-million-tonne strategic oil reserve at Mangaluru

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Friday said its board has given in-principle approval to develop a 1.75 million tonne strategic petroleum reserve at Mangaluru, expanding India's emergency crude oil storage capacity.

The project, along with associated facilities, will be developed as the Phase-I extension of the Mangaluru strategic petroleum reserve, the company said in a stock exchange filing.

Without giving financial details or the timelines of the project, ONGC said its board also authorised the company to engage with the central government on expanding commercial utilisation of the facility, subject to the required regulatory support.