Month: July 2025

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded an Air India aircraft after discovering a serious lapse during a routine audit — an overdue inspection of the aircraft’s emergency slide system. The aviation regulator took immediate action, barring the aircraft from operation until the required rectification was completed.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Monday, through a written response, told Rajya Sabha, ‘During the audit of Air India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has found that the inspection of the emergency slide was overdue. DGCA immediately grounded the aircraft till the required rectification was carried out. DGCA has initiated enforcement action against Air India and its responsible personnel as per the Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual of DGCA.

The minister’s response was to DMK member Tiruchi Siva’s query on whether Government is aware that aircraft operated by Air India, in the weeks preceding the crash of Flight-171 in June 2025, were allowed to fly with overdue emergency slide inspections, in violation of mandatory safety norms, and if so, the accountability that has been fixed on DGCA for regulatory oversight failure.

In response to the question of whether any performance audit of DGCA’s enforcement actions over the last five years has been undertaken in cases of repeat violations, the Minister said, ‘In 2022, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) carried out the ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) audit of DGCA India. As per the ICAO assessment, the effective implementation score of India is 85.65.

On whether DGCA’s enforcement mechanisms are resourced to address technical non-compliance in a timely way, Mohol said, “DGCA ensures the compliance by airlines with all safety and maintenance standards through the mechanism of conducting surveillance, spot checks, night surveillance, etc., of the airlines. and its personnel.

In case of violation, DGCA takes enforcement action in accordance with procedures prescribed in the Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual. The enforcement action consists of warning, suspension, and cancellation, including imposition of a financial penalty on the airlines/personnel. DGCA officials are well trained to perform the oversight and enforcement function”. (ANI)

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday criticised the Election Commission of India over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar and termed it a “Puppet Commission.”

Alleging “rigging” in Bihar’s electoral rolls, the former Deputy Chief Minister said that the way this process has been completed and the level of rigging that has taken place is probably “unprecedented.”

Addressing reporters here, Yadav said, “The SIR process is almost complete, but the way this process has been completed, the level of rigging that has taken place is probably unprecedented. We have repeatedly urged the Election Commission to ensure that the voter list is impartial… What happened just before the election clearly shows that the Election Commission is no longer the Election Commission but has become a ‘puppet commission’… If injustice is being done to the people, we, all the opposition parties, will not let the rights of the people be snatched away…”

Earlier in the day, both the houses of Parliament were adjourned thrice amid sloganeering by Opposition members demanding a discussion on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar.

Prominent leaders from the India bloc, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav protested outside Makar Dwar of Parliament over the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls.

The protest saw participation from across Opposition parties, with leaders holding banners which read “Loktantra par vaar” (attack on democracy) and placards that read “Stop SIR”, accusing the government of undermining democratic values.

Also present at the demonstration were Assam Congress Chief Gaurav Gogoi and CPI(ML)(Liberation) MP Raja Ram Singh Kushwaha, reflecting the broad base of concern over the alleged expansion of SIR.

On Sunday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said that out of 7.89 crore registered voters in Bihar, over 7.24 crore electors have submitted their enumeration forms under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) held from June 24 to July 25, reflecting a 91.69 per cent participation rate.

The Commission described the SIR as a “massive and successful citizen participation effort” across the state, aimed at enhancing the accuracy of the electoral rolls ahead of upcoming assembly elections. According to the official press note released by the ECI, the enumeration exercise was launched to verify and update voter records across all 38 districts of Bihar. (ANI)

India’s young sensation Divya Deshmukh conquers the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025.

Divya created history as she became the first Indian to win the Women’s World Cup 2025, beating Koneru Humpy with a score of 2.5-1.5 in the tie-breaks on Monday in Batumi.

With this win, Divya not only claimed the World Cup crown but also fulfilled her final GM norm, officially becoming India’s 88th Grandmaster.

Humpy made a mistake by capturing the f pawn, which changed the tide in Divya’s favour towards the final moments of the contest.

The Indian players, who were left tied at 1-1 each after the two classical games in the Final, entered the tie-breaks on Monday to decide the ultimate winner.

Divya became the fourth female Indian grandmaster, following in the footsteps of Humpy, R. Vaishali, and Harika Dronavalli.

Following her win, Divya stated that while she feels there’s much more to accomplish, she attributes her Grandmaster title to fate.

“I definitely need to learn endgames. I am pretty sure at some point I messed it up. I need time to process it. I think it was fate that I get the GM title this way. Before this tournament, I didn’t even have one norm. It definitely means a lot. There’s a lot more to achieve. I’m hoping this is just the start,” Divya said as quoted by ESPN.

Divya Deshmukh secures gold, Humpy Koneru pockets silver, while China’s sensation Tan Zhongy finished the tournament with a bronze medal.

Earlier, the opening game of the FIDE Women’s World Cup final saw two of India’s finest talents, Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh, settle for a hard-fought draw. The scoreboard read 1/2 – 1/2.

The second round of the FIDE Women’s World Cup also ended in a draw. Two of India’s finest talents, Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh, settled for a hard-fought draw. The scoreboard read 1/2 – 1/2. (ANI)

Bollywood actor Kajol shares a very close bond with her daughter Nysa Devgn. It was a moment of pride for her as Nysa completed her graduation from a university in Switzerland.

In a viral video from the graduation ceremony, Kajol was seen cheering enthusiastically for her daughter. However, what caught the attention of the netizens was the way she applauded Nysa.

Her enthusiastic cheer reminded many fans of her iconic character, Anjali, from ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…’, in which her character praises her son at a school function.

Ajay Devgn’s daughter looks gorgeous wearing the traditional graduation robe as she walks up to the stage to receive her degree. Kajol’s excitement was reflected as she shouted for her daughter.

One of the social media users shared the video on X and wrote, “Congratulations Nysa!!! (In the chaos of 100s I can actually hear Kajol’s “C’mon babyyyy!!” So clearly )”

While another fan commented, “This is so Anjali from K3g energy”

Ajay and Kajol got married in 1999. The star couple welcomed their daughter, Nysa, on April 20, 2003. Seven years later, their son Yug was born on September 13, 2010.

Meanwhile, on the professional front, Kajol is being lauded for her role in Kayoze Irani’s directorial ‘Sarzameen’. Directed by Kayoze Irani, the film stars Prithviraj Sukumaran as Vijay Menon–a man torn between a father’s love and a soldier’s duty, Kajol as Meher–a mother who fights against all odds to keep her family intact, and Ibrahim Ali Khan as Harman–a vulnerable young man caught at a crossroads.

She will be seen hosting a talk show with Twinke Khanna. Titled ‘Two Much With Kajol and Twinkle’. Produced and conceptualised by Banijay Asia, the show is described as a “bold, fiery, and candid” entry into the talk show space, featuring a guest list that includes the “biggest names” in Bollywood and the industry’s Who’s Who.

‘Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle’ will be streaming soon on Prime Video. (ANI)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that India successfully neutralized any attack by Pakistan, and that no important assets of the Indian armed forces were damaged during the hostilities between India and Pakistan after the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7 this year. He further said that nine terrorist infra sites in Pakistan were hit in precision strikes in which “over 100 terrorists, their trainers and handlers were targeted.”

Initiating the discussion on ‘Operation Sindoor’ in Lok Sabha, the Defence Minister said, “I feel proud when I say this, that our defence systems, counter drone systems, and electronic equipment completely foiled Pakistan’s attack. Pakistan could not hit any of the targets, and no important asset was damaged. Our security arrangements were quite vigorous. We stopped every attack. For this, I commend the brave Indian armed forces, who put water on each plan of the enemies.”

Detailing the hostilities by Pakistan, the Union Minister said that on May 10, the neighbouring country targeted Indian Air force bases and military establishment through electronic warfare too.

“On 8 May 2025, selected Pakistani air defence system, and sensor network were targeted with precision guided missiles. We were totally focused on self defence, neither was it provocative. Attacks by Pakistan started from 7 May and continued, and on May 10 around 1:30 AM Pakistan used drones, long range missiles and other weapons. They also used electronic warfare technologies, on their target was Indian Air Force’s air bases, and military Cantts,” the defence minister said.

Urging the opposition members to show appreciation for the armed forces, he added, “To the Opposition too, atleast now thump your hands to praise the Armed forces.”

The Minister said multiple bases and areas in Pakistan, including Chaklala, Sargodha, Rafiqui, Rahim Yaar Khan, Jacobabad and more were targeted.

“The Indian armed forces on the Western front, targetted Pakistani air bases, command and control systems, military infrastructure, and our armed forces worked to make the mission successful. Our force targeted Chaklala, Sargodha, Rafiqui, Rahim Yaar Khan, Jacobabad, Sukh, and Bhalari big air bases, and the whole world saw the courage of the Indian forces,” he added.

The Defence Minister also informed the Lok Sabha about the “in-depth study” conducted by the armed forces prior to launching Operation Sindoor. He said that India chose to inflict maximum damage to terrorists while ensuring that civilians remained unharmed.

“The entire operation was concluded within 22 minutes,” Singh said.

The discussion on Operation Sindoor, scheduled to take place for over 16 hours, was supposed to begin earlier in the Lower House. However, Lok Sabha was adjourned thrice till 2 pm amid ruckus, with Opposition MPs entering the Well of the Lower House. (ANI)

The Supreme Court initiated suo motu proceedings on Monday in response to a media report on the growing menace of stray dog attacks, which are leading to an increase in rabies cases.

A division bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan termed the news report as “very disturbing and alarming”.

“The news item contains some alarming and disturbing figures and facts. Every day, hundreds of dog bites are reported in cities and areas on the outskirts, leading to rabies and ultimately, young infants, children and the aged are falling prey to this dreadful disease,” the bench said.

The news report revealed that the elderly and children were the most affected by rabies from dog bite incidents.

The bench proceeded to take suo motu cognizance of the issue and directed that the matter be placed before the Chief Justice of India (CJI), BR Gavai, for appropriate directions.

Earlier, in a study done by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE), on Human rabies death and animal bite burden estimates in India, 2022-2023, it was revealed that more than 5000 people die every year due to dog bites. The study also revealed that the dog bite incidence was higher among children below 14 years and the elderly aged above 60 years

“Nearly 9.1 million animal bites and 5,726 human rabies deaths due to dog bites are estimated to occur every year in India.”

“80 per cent of the dog bite victims reported taking at least one dose of the vaccination. In order to eliminate dog-mediated rabies by 2030, India must continue to fast-track its action through a focused one health approach,” stated the study done by ICMR-NIE.

The study stated, “The primary objectives of the study are to estimate the incidence of animal bites and to estimate human rabies deaths by decision tree model. The secondary objectives are to estimate the proportion of animal bite cases receiving post-exposure prophylaxis, describe the anti-rabies vaccine supply chain at different levels of the health care system and estimate direct and indirect costs associated with animal bite cases”.

Dr. Rajesh Kumar, Associate Director of Internal Medicine at Paras Health, Gurugram, stated that the Rabies virus is the cause of the fatal viral disease rabies. It is primarily transmitted by the bite or scratch of an infected animal, usually a stray dog, but it can also be spread by bats, cats, and monkeys.

The virus causes inflammation in the brain by affecting the central nervous system.Once symptoms appear, such as fever, confusion, fear of water, and paralysis, it is almost always fatal.

The risks linked to rabies are severe. If wounds from animal bites or scratches are not cleaned and treated correctly, they can lead to serious infections like sepsis, or localized bacterial infections, he said. (ANI)

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court on Monday framed charges against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan and 10 other accused persons in a case related to alleged irregularities in the appointment of CEO and other daily wage employees in the Delhi Waqf Board. Khan, a former CEO of the Waqf Board, has been charged with the offences of conspiracy and corruption.

Special Judge (CBI) Dig Vinay Singh framed charges against Amanatullah Khan and Mahboob Alam for the offences of conspiracy and corruption. The other nine accused have been charged with the offence of conspiracy by the court. During the said period, at the time of these appointments, the AAP MLA was the Chairman of the board in 2016.

The detailed order on charge is yet to be uploaded by the court.

The court read over the charges to all accused persons, namely Amanatullah Khan, Mahboob Alam, Hamid Akhtar, Kifayatullah Khan, Rafiusshan Khan, Imran Ali, Md. Ahrar, Aquib Jawed, Azhar Khan, Zakir Khand and Abdul Mannar.

None of the accused has pleaded guilty and claimed trial.

Thereafter, the court listed the matter for recording of Prosecution evidence against the accused persons on August 21, 22, 24 and 26.

A charge sheet was filed by the CBI in August 2022 against the accused persons. AAP and the other accused were on bail in connection with the incident.

It is alleged that during the tenure of the AAP MLA as the chairman, his associates and relatives were appointed as daily wage employees, and rules were not followed. (ANI)

In a major success against terrorism in Jammu Kashmir, Hashim Musa, the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack, was killed along with two other Pakistani terrorists on Monday morning during an encounter in Srinagar under Operation Mahadev. Musa was the conspirator and executor of the attack in Pahalgam which left 26 civilians dead.

The operation is still in progress.

Army sources said the Operation was launched to hunt down those behind the Pahalgam terror attack, in a coordinated network of Army and Jammu Kashmir Police as well as intelligence agencies. Intelligence inputs gathered over the past month had indicated that some of the terrorists involved may have moved towards the Dachigam region, located roughly 20 km from Srinagar’s city centre.

Top Lashkar commander Musa, killed in the encounter, was also involved in the killing of seven people involved in the construction of the Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonmarg highway last year.

The fierce gunfight broke out in earlyer hours when security forces conrnered the terrorists in the dense forests of Harwan near Dachigam in Jammu and Kashmir. Around 17 grenades, one M4 carbine and two AK-47 rifles were recovered from the hideout of the terrorists.

The anti-terror Operation Mahadev took place in the general area of Lidwas, Chinar Corps of Indian Army said. “OP MAHADEV – Contact established in General Area Lidwas. Operation in progress” the Chinar Corp said in a previous post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Hashim Musa aka Sulaiman Shah was identified as the mastermind of the April 22 terror attack that shook the nation and triggered an armed conflict between India and Pakistan. Musa served in the Pakistan Army and in the aftermath of the terror attack at Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had announced a Rs 20 lakh reward on anyone providing information about him.

The other two terrorists who were killed have been identified as Abu Hamza and Yasir. Yasir, too, is believed to be among the Pahalgam killers. Security forces from the Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police were part of today’s joint operation.

(More inputs being added)

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for a series of exciting missions. According to the organisation’s chief, Dr V Narayanan, ISRO will launch the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite on July 30 using the GSLV-F16 rocket.

This satellite will scan the entire globe every 12 days, providing high-resolution, day-and-night, all-weather imagery across a 242 km swath. NISAR aims to support climate change research, disaster response, and Earth science studies.

“We are going to launch the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite through the GSLV-S16 rocket by July 30th,” said the ISRO chief.

NISAR features NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band radar, enabling it to track surface changes with centimeter-level precision. The satellite will systematically map Earth’s surface, monitoring dynamic processes like glacier retreat, vegetation changes, and earthquakes. NISAR will deliver high-resolution data crucial for monitoring natural disasters, environmental degradation, and infrastructure stress.

Narayanan also provided an update on the Gaganyaan Mission, which aims to send Indian astronauts into space. Before the crewed mission, ISRO will conduct three uncrewed missions, including the Humanoid Mission. In December, a robot called Vyommitra will be sent into space to test the systems. Two Uncrewed Missions: If the humanoid mission is successful, two more uncrewed missions will be launched next year. Following the completion of all tests, the Gaganyaan Mission is scheduled to launch in March 2027.

“We will conduct three uncrewed missions before the Gaganyaan Mission. In December, a humanoid mission will be conducted, during which a robot called Vyommitra will be sent into space. If it’s successful, then two uncrewed missions will be launched next year. After all the tests in March 2027, as PM Modi said, Gaganyan Mission will be launched,” added the ISRO chief.

Vyommitra is a name derived from two Sanskrit words: “Vyoma” (meaning “space”) and “Mitra” (meaning “friend”). This female robot astronaut is equipped with the capability to monitor module parameters, issue alerts, and execute life support operations. It can perform tasks such as operating six panels and responding to queries.

These missions demonstrate India’s growing capabilities in space exploration and technology, with ISRO playing a vital role in advancing the nation’s vision of self-reliance and global leadership in space. (ANI)