Monsoon triggers chaos across India; 7 dead, states on alert
Mumbai air traffic hit, roads flooded, warning issued for landslides New Delhi: Monsoon kept people across India on their toes on Sunday, grounding flights, flooding roads and claiming seven lives in Mumbai, while Kerala was on high alert for floods and landslides and Odisha and Himachal on the lookout for heavy rain. The India Meteorological []
3 fairness creams found to be toxic; public advised to avoid
New Delhi: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (MFDA) has reportedly issued a public warning against the use of three cosmetic products after laboratory tests found dangerously high levels of mercury and lead, prompting concerns over serious health risks. The regulator declared Goree Beauty Cream, Face Fresh Gold (Beauty Cream + Beauty Serum) and Golden []
Modern labs, green spaces: CM kick-starts MissionKayakalp to revamp Delhigovt. school infra
Jaishankar Meets Indian Community in Doha, Praises Their Contributions
New Delhi, July 6: During his visit to Qatar, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with representatives of the Indian community in Doha. He praised their contributions to Qatari society, stating that their experiences and suggestions will play a crucial role in strengthening the ties between the two countries. Jaishankar shared on the social media ... Read more Jaishankar Meets Indian Community in Doha, Praises Their Contributions
Five years later, Greater Noida smart villages still battle broken roads
5 years after Rs 150-crore project launched, residents say infra development only on papers
Broken sheds, missing railings: Hindon Moksha Ghar in need of repairs
Man surrenders after killing wife with tawa
In 5 yrs, MCD barely issued challans for urinating, spitting in public as toilets crumbled
Dead Lizard Found in Mid-Day Meal at West Delhi Govt School, FIR Registered
Newlywed dies after fall from building, family suspects foul play
CISF Helpline Helps Nab Alleged Metro Stalker
Delhi govt planning single digital interface for medical & wellness tourism
When trust is therapy: Why having the same teacher matters to kids with special needs
DU Begins Registration for Two PG Programmes, Nearly 1.5 Lakh UG Applications Received
Chargesheet names teens parents, brother as her murder accused
MCD Contractual Employee Killed After DTC Bus Hits Motorcycle in Shahdara, Driver Arrested
2 suspects in gym trainers murder shot dead in Hry; Lawrence gang says encounter staged, police deny
DC Edit | Why Is Jail, Not Bail, The Order?
A Delhi court has again rejected the bail applications of student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in a case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots as it had little option but to follow the Supreme Court order on January 5 which quite inappropriately commented on the merits of the case while declining bail
Home Minister Amit Shah reviews illegal coal mining, theft; orders Zero Coal Leakage Plan
New Delhi, July 5: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah and Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy reviewed situation of illegal coal mining and coal theft in a high-level meeting in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, the Union Coal Secretary, senior officials from the Ministry of Coal, CISF, Coal India Limited and BCCL. During the meeting, the Home Minister expressed concern over the worsening situation of illegal coal mining and theft in Dhanbad and nearby areas. Officials from the Ministry of Coal informed the Home Minister that several concrete steps had been taken since the review held in the first week of October 2025. It was also informed that officials of CISF and Coal India Limited had been authorised to take action under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. This authorisation legally enables them to file cases in court, enter premises where illegal coal is suspected to be stored, conduct search and seizure operations, and seize illegally extracted minerals along with the tools, equipment, and vehicles used in such unauthorised activities. It was also informed that Union Home Secretary had chaired a high-level meeting in December 2025 wherein several important decisions were taken including direction to constitute a Coal Sector Coordination Committee which has since been constituted. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah appreciated the steps taken so far by the Ministry of Coal and CISF. However, he emphasised that much more needs to be done to curb the menace of illegal mining. Home Minister issued several important directions including adoption of Zero Coal Leakage Plan to ensure a comprehensive and time-bound response to illegal mining and the unauthorised transportation of coal. He noted that although powers had been entrusted to CISF and Coal India Limited officials under the MMDR Act, these powers must be exercised rigorously and in a coordinated manner, in line with the approved Standard Operating Procedure. Amit Shah also instructed the Ministry of Coal to review the action taken on a regular basis. To ensure that consumers use only legally mined coal and to deter the transportation of illegal coal, it was considered necessary to involve GST authorities. A mechanism should, therefore, be put in place to verify e-way bills for all coal being transported. Union Home Minster directed officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs to include coal sector in the priority list for CISF deployment, so that personnel can be deployed immediately in vulnerable areas. He further directed CISF to form Quick Response Teams and establish a multi-layered security arrangement in vulnerable areas, enabling prompt action against illegal miners to take immediate action whenever information is received. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation also stressed the need to use technology more effectively. He directed that high-resolution cameras installed at Integrated Command and Control Centres should be used to identify areas and persons involved in illegal mining activities. Home Minister said that the Government remains committed to taking all necessary measures to protect public resources, maintain law and order, and safeguard the interests of legitimate coal mining operations.
Delhi Fire Services Contain Major Factory Blaze in Chandan Hola
3 held for robbing taxi driver of car, phnone ear Bhopura Border
Three Arrested for Stabbing 20-Year-Old to Death in New Usmanpur Park
School Assembly News Headlines (July 6): Top National, International, Sports News
Today's news bulletin: On the national front: big names are back in the political ring, Mumbai and Delhi are coping with monsoon unrest.
Indian homemaker wins Rs 65 cr in Big Ticket Abu Dhabi draw
A 42-year-old Indian homemaker has won Dirham 25 million (around Rs 65 crore) in the latest Big Ticket live draw in Abu Dhabi, turning a long-held dream into reality. Kanika Arora, originally from Delhi, secured the jackpot after purchasing ticket number 476107 online on June 30 for Big Ticket Draw 288. A dream years in Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
2 Months After Wedding, Delhi Woman Found Dead, Family Alleges Murder
Aakriti's family alleged that she has been was murdered. They accused her husband and in-laws of dowry harassment and physical abuse.
Severe weather disrupts flight operations at National and Economic capital airports
New Delhi [India], July 5 : Heavy rains, strong gusty winds and reduced visibility wreaked havoc on air traffic at India's major metropolitan airports on Sunday, leading to flight diversions, cancellations, and temporary runway suspensions. According to Mumbai airport authorities, adverse weather conditions struck at approximately 10:17 hrs, with strong gusty winds reaching up to 42 knots and heavy rain reducing visibility. As a safety precaution, runway operations were temporarily suspended to protect passengers, aircraft, and ground personnel. Normal operations resumed at 11:17 hrs after a 60-minute halt once weather conditions improved. Also, Mumbai Airport sources confirmed that 4 IndiGo flights were cancelled, 13 aircraft of various air operators were diverted, though all diverted aircraft have since landed back safely in Mumbai. Delhi airport sources reported that a total of 15 flights, 10 domestic and 5 international, were diverted to Jaipur and Lucknow due to the bad weather, heavy rains and strong winds. Low-cost carrier Akasa Air issued a statement acknowledging the impact that, due to severe weather conditions in Delhi, certain flights across our network have been impacted. We realise that this may inconvenience your travel plans and seek your patience and understanding. While this situation is completely beyond our control, please rest assured that our teams are always ready to assist you IndiGo released a travel advisory & conveyed to passengers that Bad weather over Delhi and Mumbai has impacted flight schedules. We are closely monitoring the weather and doing our best to get you where you need to be, safely and smoothly. Air India also cautioned passengers, stating that Adverse weather conditions may impact flight operations to and from Mumbai and Delhi. The disruptions come amid the monsoon season when such weather events are common but can significantly affect dense air traffic corridors like the Delhi-Mumbai route. Airport and airline teams are working to minimise passenger inconvenience through rebookings and ground support.Passengers are advised to check with their respective airlines for the latest flight status and updates before heading to the airport. (ANI)
Delhi's new electronic vehicles policy provides 1 lakh scrapping incentive for four-wheeler owners who switch to EVs from petrol and diesel vehicles. We explain how the incentives work and steps to apply
Newlywed woman dies after fall from third floor in Delhi; family alleges dowry harassment, murder
A 28-year-old newlywed woman, Akriti, died after allegedly falling from the third floor of a Delhi residential complex. Her family has accused her husband and in-laws of dowry harassment and murder, rejecting the possibility of suicide. The marriage, a love-cum-arranged alliance, took place just two-and-a-half months ago. Police are investigating the incident, recording statements from family and witnesses.
Rain lashes parts of Delhi, brings relief from sultry conditions
IMD said Chhatarpur received 49 mm of rainfall, followed by Gurugram at 35 mm, Mehrauli at 18 mm, Greater Noida at 17 mm, Najafgarh at 8 mm and Janakpuri at 7 mm till 2.30 p.m.
BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra's WhatsApp hacked, warns against fraud messages
BJP MP Sambit Patra's WhatsApp account was hacked, with cybercriminals sending fake messages and demanding money. He alerted authorities and urged the public to ignore any communications from his number. This incident echoes a similar hack faced by NCP (SCP) MP Supriya Sule last year, where her account was compromised and ransom demanded. Both leaders emphasize vigilance against such digital threats.
Prestige Estates to invest Rs 15,000 cr this fiscal in housing, commercial projects
Prestige Estates Projects is set to invest a substantial Rs 15,000 crore this fiscal year in developing residential and commercial properties across key South Indian regions, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR. Following a record Rs 30,024 crore in sales bookings last fiscal, the company is prioritizing timely project execution. This significant investment underscores their commitment to disciplined growth and expanding their robust project pipeline.
DU opens admissions for one-year PG programmes for the first time
New Delhi: Delhi University has opened admissions to its one-year postgraduate programmes for the first time, offering graduates of its four-year undergraduate courses a faster pathway to a masters degree under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Admissions began on July 5 and are open exclusively to Delhi University students who have completed the four-year Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
What Is 'Mission Kayakalp'? Delhi Government Schools To Transform Into Safe, Clean, Modern Spaces
The sensory park for children with special needs at the school on Shankaracharya Marg has been renovated.
38-year-old biker killed in collision with DTC bus in east Delhi; driver arrested
A tragic accident in East Delhi claimed the life of 38-year-old Sandeep on Sunday afternoon. His motorcycle collided with a Delhi Transport Corporation bus near GTB Enclave police station, resulting in fatal head injuries. Police have arrested the bus driver, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing. The victim was a resident of Ghaziabad.
Day 16 of CJP protest: Wangchuk loses 6 kg as fast enters 8th day
New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Partys (CJP) protest at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhans resignation and government accountability over alleged examination irregularities, entered its 16th day on Sunday, while it was the eighth day of an indefinite hunger strike announced by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has lost around Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .
VHP Chief Challenges Opposition Leaders on Allegations
New Delhi, July 5: Alok Kumar, the international president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), has responded to opposition leaders by stating that if they possess sufficient evidence to support their claims, they should assist in the ongoing investigation. This remark follows a letter he wrote to officials investigating the alleged irregularities surrounding the Ram ... Read more VHP Chief Challenges Opposition Leaders on Allegations
17-year-old girl kidnapped, raped in Delhi; accused arrested
Delhi police have successfully rescued a 17-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped and raped by a 22-year-old man. The suspect was apprehended after the girl's mother reported her missing. Investigators utilized electronic evidence and local intelligence to locate the victim. The accused has confessed, and charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act have been filed. The victim is receiving necessary support as the investigation continues.
Delhi University has commenced registrations for one-year postgraduate courses and MSc programmes for the 2026 academic session. Applications for the one-year PG courses are open to DU graduates under the UGCF 2022. Meanwhile, the university has also released updates on undergraduate admissions, with the CSAS UG 2026 first allocation list due July 16. Seat acceptance for BTech admissions is required by July 8.
J-K books controversy: J-K Police conduct raids, register FIR under UAPA and BNS
Jammu, Jul 05: The Counter Intelligence wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday registered a First Information Report (FIR) and launched raids in connection with the alleged glorification of separatists in two controversial publications, officials said. The books in contention are titled Personalities and Legends of J&K, authored by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena and published by Jammu-based Oberoi Book Service, and Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir, authored by Sushant Giri and published by Delhi-based Anurag Prakashan. According to officials, 123 copies of one of the books were supplied to Jammu, Ramban and Udhampur districts, and 128 copies of the other book were supplied to Jammu and Baramulla districts. A case was registered at the Police Station Counter Intelligence, Jammu, under Sections 49 (abetment), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 152 (endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India), 196 (promoting enmity, disharmony) and 353 ( publishing, or circulating false statements, rumors, or reports) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), besides Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the officials said. After filing the case, the Counter Intelligence unit launched raids on the premises of one of the publishers at Bahu Plaza in the city, the officials said. They said the searches were carried out as part of the ongoing investigation to collect material relevant to the case. The investigators have seized both physical documents and digital evidence during the raids, the officials said, adding that no arrests have been made so far. Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha suspended eight officials of the School Education Department, removed a contractual staff and ordered an inquiry into two controversial books found containing highly inappropriate content. The action comes after BJP, Congress and other political groups raised objections that the books allegedly glorified separatism. In an order, the School Education Department said the two books were withdrawn on Friday.
Jobless Man Kills Wife With Tawa After Domestic Quarrel in Delhi
Accused, undergoing treatment for schizophrenia, surrenders before police after fatal assault
A 48-year-old man confessed to police in Southwest Delhi that he killed his wife with a tawa following a late-night argument. The accused, who claims to be undergoing schizophrenia treatment, surrendered at a police station Sunday morning. Investigators are verifying his medical claims and exploring the couple's financial distress and recent arguments as potential motives for the fatal incident.
Heavy rain and gusty winds batter Delhi-NCR; 15 flights diverted due to bad weather
Delhi-NCR experienced a sudden weather shift on Sunday with heavy rain and thunderstorms disrupting normal life. The Delhi Airport saw 15 flights diverted due to adverse conditions, impacting travel plans for many. While some areas enjoyed cooler temperatures post-rain, others remained hot and humid. The India Meteorological Department forecasts no significant temperature change in the next 24 hours.
Northeast Delhi police swiftly apprehended three individuals within 18 hours, solving the brutal stabbing of 20-year-old Toheed in a local park. The accused, motivated by a prior altercation where the victim allegedly assaulted one of them and threatened another, confessed to luring Toheed to the park and fatally stabbing him. The murder weapon has been recovered, and one suspect has a previous robbery charge.
Flight operations at Delhi, Mumbai airports hit due to rain, 28 flights diverted to other cities
Thirteen flights from Mumbai were diverted from to Ahmedabad, Indore, Surat, Bengaluru, Hyderabad airports
28-year-old dies after fatal fall from NDMC flats in Delhi
A 28-year-old woman, Akriti, tragically died after a fall from NDMC flats in Palika Kunj, South Delhi, on Saturday evening. Married just under three months ago, she was discovered injured and rushed to AIIMS, where she was declared dead. Police have launched an inquest and are investigating all possibilities surrounding the fatal incident.
India hopeful of sanctions relief for Chabahar after Iran-US peace deal
New Delhi says project activities not possible without restoration of US waiver or easing of sanctions; issue has been taken up with Washington
Police arrest 3 in Maruti Ertiga robbery case in Delhi
Police have apprehended three individuals in connection with the robbery of a taxi driver's Maruti Ertiga and mobile phone near Bhopura Border. The driver was allegedly intimidated and forced out of his vehicle by the intoxicated suspects, who then fled with the car. Investigators utilized CCTV footage, technical surveillance, and local intelligence to track down and arrest the accused, recovering both the stolen vehicle and the phone.
Airlines issue travel advisory for Mumbai, Delhi flights amid heavy rain, IMD alerts
Air India urges passengers flying to or from Mumbai and Delhi to verify flight statuses online due to severe monsoon weather. Mumbai faces a red alert with heavy rainfall and strong winds, while Delhi is under a yellow alert with thunderstorms and gusty winds. Expect potential disruptions like delays and diversions at both airports. Check Air India's website for real-time updates before travelling.
New Delhi, July 5 : The Centre has issued a notice to Meta over the alleged presence of Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) [] The post Government Issues Notice to Meta Over Instagram Ads Linked to Child Sexual Abuse Material, Seeks Reply in 7 Days appeared first on The Voice Of Sikkim .
Can delayed ITR e-verification lead to loss of your tax refund? ITAT answers
The Delhi ITAT has ruled that a genuine income tax refund cannot be denied merely because an ITR was e-verified late, if the delay has already been condoned by the Central Processing Centre (CPC). Here's what taxpayers should know.
Singer Bismil receives extortion threats; probe underway
Delhi-based singer Mohammad Asif, popularly known as Bismil, has reportedly received extortion threats from an unidentified person using an international phone number.
Wife of retired IAF Wing Commander dies after jumping from multi-level car park in Noida
A Noida woman, identified as Situ Talwar, tragically fell from the Sector 18 multi-level car park on Saturday evening. Preliminary reports suggest she had been battling depression for two decades. Police were alerted via Dial 112 and she was taken to a private hospital where she was pronounced dead. Her family has been informed, and a post-mortem is underway.
Govt issues notice to Meta over Child Sexual Exploitative Material in Instagram ads
New Delhi [India], July 5 : The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed officials to summon Meta representatives to seek a formal explanation regarding paid advertisements on Instagram that promoted Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), as per sources. In the notice issued on Saturday evening, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) ordered Instagram to disable all the ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM. The government has also demanded a detailed explanation within seven days, the sources added. This comes in the wake of a media report had claimed that Instagram hosted paid advertisements with disturbing keywords with links to other social media channels where they can be purchased. Earlier, according to sources, the ministry had taken cognizance of reports that Instagram showcased certain objectionable material that promoted child sexual abuse and issued directions to officials to seek a response from Meta. IT officials are demanding answers on how these deeply disturbing advertisements successfully bypassed Meta's pre-publication review and moderation pipeline. The government is reviewing whether the platform has complied with India's intermediary safety guidelines. Distribution of pornography and child sexual abuse material is a criminal offence in India under its digital laws. In its In its response to the media report, Meta acknowledged that no moderation system is perfect but highlighted a zero tolerance policy towards CSAM. The company reported that upon being alerted, it disabled the offending advertisements, suspended the violating accounts, and blocked the associated URLs. Under Section 67 (B) of the IT Act, it is a punishable offence to publish or transmit material depicting children in sexually explicit acts, etc. in electronic form. Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) refers to material containing sexual images in any form of a child who is abused or sexually exploited, according to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Content posted on these social media intermediaries is guided by their content policy and community guidelines, and users can report or flag material that they find inappropriate or violating their community guidelines. (ANI)
Delhi Police Arrests iPhone Thief in Six Hours
New Delhi, July 5: The Delhi Police swiftly apprehended a mobile thief within just six hours in the Shahdara area, recovering the stolen iPhone and the scooter used in the crime. According to police officials, a woman named Priya reported the theft at the Shahdara police station. She stated that while returning home after dropping ... Read more Delhi Police Arrests iPhone Thief in Six Hours
Delhi, Noida, Gurugram rain today: Delhi-NCR residents should brace for increased rainfall and thunderstorms over the next few days. The India Meteorological Department forecasts active monsoon conditions bringing cloudy skies, intermittent showers, and gusty winds of up to 60 kmph. Rainfall is expected to intensify from July 6 and continue through July 9, with potential for localized disruptions. Stay updated on local forecasts.
Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is set to lash large parts of India on Monday, with the monsoon active over western, central, and northern regions. Gujarat, Konkan, Goa, and central Maharashtra are bracing for intense downpours, while thunderstorms are anticipated across several states. The India Meteorological Department warns of potential waterlogging and localized flooding in vulnerable areas.
Imran slams Andrew, says he targets boys seeking male role models
Imran Khan criticised Andrew Tate for exploiting vulnerable young boys seeking role models. He credited his mother and family men, including uncle Aamir Khan, for positive influence. Imran debuted in 2008 with Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, later starring in Delhi Belly. He's now dating Lekha Washington after separating from Avantika Malik.
Why Indian women could play football World Cup before men
Aditi Chauhan, initially a basketball enthusiast, transitioned to football as a goalkeeper, becoming India's number one and the first Indian woman to play in the English league. Despite facing career-threatening ACL injuries and the absence of a professional league, Chauhan pursued sports management and returned to play for India.
Teen accused in 2 murders to be tried as adult
A 16-year-old boy, accused in two separate murder cases in Delhi, will be tried as an adult. The Juvenile Justice Board made this decision after assessing the gravity of the offences. In the first incident, he allegedly killed a peer over a mobile phone treat. While on bail, he is accused of fatally stabbing a mediator in a second case. This marks the second such ruling in Delhi recently.
Gold and silver prices rose in India last week amid positive global cues. Check retail rates of 24K, 22K gold, 18K, 999 silver in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and other cities.
Weather Today and Tomorrow: India braces for intense monsoon activity on July 5-6, with extremely heavy rainfall predicted for western and central regions. Mumbai and surrounding areas are under a red alert. Northern, eastern, and northeastern states will also see widespread showers, while hill states face landslide and flash flood risks. Residents are urged to stay updated and avoid travel during heavy downpours.
Delhi's Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has defended the upcoming ban on new petrol two-wheeler registrations from April 2028, citing the need to achieve clean air targets. She emphasized that this mandate is crucial for accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, as two-wheelers contribute significantly to pollution. The government is also bolstering the EV ecosystem with expanded charging infrastructure and incentives, aiming for a comprehensive shift.
Is Sooryavanshis style sustainable for long time, asks Hayden
New Delhi, Juy 4: Vaibhav Sooryavanshis devil may care approach towards batting looks magical but other teenagers trying to ape the boy wonder should ponder if that template is sustainable, Australian legend Matthew Hayden cautioned. When Hayden, who very recently saw Sooryavanshi perform in the IPL while sitting in the Gujarat Titans dug-out, was asked []
A Delhi court has rejected the bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 riots larger conspiracy case. The judge stated the court must adhere to a Supreme Court ruling from January 5, 2026, which had previously dismissed their bail petitions. The court found no grounds to reconsider the matter, citing the apex court's prior decision.
Baltal base camp wears festive look, enthusiasm among pilgrims
With the beginning of the annual Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra (SANJY)-2026, the Baltal the base camp of the pilgrimage in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir wore a festive look. The base camp at Baltal on the banks of the nallah Sindh remains active round the clock. Around midnight daily, the huge sprawling camp, guarded heavily by security forces, starts bustling. Pilgrims from various parts of the country board their buses and travel on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway to Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in south Kashmir. Once you reach Baltal base camp after going through a couple of checking points you come across the festive fervour. Well-lit and decorated Langars with loudspeakers blaring bhajans greet you. The lost and found announcements also add to the festivities and are abuzz with Mahesh from Delhi looking for Ramesh. At base camp here is a full-fledged market run by Muslims and Non-Muslims both selling 'puja Samagri and other stuff. You pass through and they call out Bhole puja ka saman le lo, Nahane Ka Garam Pani free, Saaman Rakhna free. The scene here is a real show of communal harmony. The fearlessness and enthusiasm of the pilgrims can be seen during the arrival and stay at base camps with the whole area also reverberate with the chants of Bam Bam Bholey. The pilgrims are seen freely moving around the base camp busy clicking pictures buying different kind of things available in the market. The Langars (community kitchens) set up for the Yatris see a huge rush. The common sight at Baltal is of the Kashmiri Muslims who are the major local service providers to Amarnath pilgrims during the annual yatra. The local service providers mostly consist of those people who have installed their kiosks and tents for Yatris and are seen eagerly waiting to receive them. Mostly local Muslims are the major service providers in Baltal and Pahalgam. The Pony Wallas, tent owners, shopkeepers, labourers and others mostly local Muslims offer services to Amarnath pilgrims during yatra. We have always welcomed the Amarnath pilgrims who are our guests. The yatra is not only just business or earning livelihood for us, Bilal Ahmad Mir a local service provider said. We are very excited about the yatra. I am coming for the second time but my each visit to the shrine makes me more excited, said Suresh Sharma, a pilgrim from Delhi. The Yatris were very enthusiastic to see the arrangements in place. They were happy too as the locals are extending full support and coordination to the Yatris. With every passing year, the facilities and arrangements for the pilgrims have been improving the pilgrims said. They said that Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB) and J&K administration has made the pilgrimage more comfortable and smooth, a group of Yatris said. Meanwhile, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), UT administration has made all the arrangements for the annual yatra. Besides heightened security arrangements have been made to ensure a peaceful yatra.
Suspecting Affair, Delhi Man Kills Wife With Battery, Consumes Poision, Then Tells Family
Police said after killing his wife, Vinay allegedly consumed aluminium phosphide.
Indias auto demand remains resilient in June: Report
NEW DELHI, July 4: Auto sector demand in India remained resilient in June, with personal mobility segments continuing to outperform, a report has said. The report from Asit C Mehta Investment Intermediates said easing of supply-side bottlenecks at several OEMs, healthy retail demand and sustained export momentum supported volume growth during June. Export momentum for []
Monsoon session of Parliament from Jul 20 to Aug 13
New Delhi, Jul 4:The Monsoon session of Parliament will be held from July 20 to August 13, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren said on Saturday. The 25-day session with 19 sittings comes after the ruling BJPs victories in West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry assembly polls. The aftermath of the rebellion in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Shiv Sena (UBT) will also play out in the forthcoming session. A decision by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on the demands of 20 TMC and six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs seeking recognition as separate groups is awaited. In the Rajya Sabha, after newly elected and re-elected MPs took oath, the political numbers further tilted in favour of the ruling NDA. Three rebel TMC MPs from the Upper House have quit and bypolls will help the BJP gather more strength in the Rajya Sabha. In a post on X, Rijiju said on the recommendation of the government, President Draupadi Murmu has summoned both the Houses of Parliament for the Monsoon Session 2026. The Session will commence on 20 July, 2026 and continue till 13 August, 2026 for meaningful debate, discussion and decisions on issues of national importance, he said. The last session ended in disappointment for the BJP-led NDA government as a Constitution amendment bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha was defeated in the Lower House. The government is now redrafting the bill to possibly increase Lok Sabha seats of all states uniformly by 50 per cent. The population-linked increase in seats has been a major concern for southern parties.
PM Modi greets Trump, people of US on 250th anniversary of independence
New Delhi, Jul 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted President Donald Trump and the people of the United States on the 250th anniversary of Americas independence and said the two countries shared belief in democracy and the rule of law, and the limitless potential of their people make the friendship a force for global good. Modi asserted that India and the United States share more than a strategic partnership. On behalf of 1.4 billion Indians, I extend my warmest congratulations to President Trump and the people of the United States on the historic 250th anniversary of your Independence, the prime minster said in a post on X. He said the shared belief of India and the US in democracy and the rule of law, and the limitless potential of our people make our friendship a force for global good. May the next 250 years bring even greater prosperity, peace and progress for America and take the India-US partnership to new heights, he said. Trump ushered in the 250th anniversary of American independence on Friday. The signing of the Declaration of Independence, one of historys most-celebrated articulations of democratic ambitions, is being marked in myriad ways. Set to take a central role in the festivities, Trump plans to speak at the National Mall in Washington ahead of what is being billed as a historically-enormous fireworks show that will rain down over the US capital.
After Op Sindoor, trust in made-in-India defence platforms got enhanced: Rajnath Singh
New Delhi, Jul 4: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that after Operation Sindoor, the trust in made-in-India defence platforms has received a boost. In his address at an event here, he also reiterated that today, our defence production has reached over Rs 1.78 lakh crore, and about 8-9 years ago, it stood at approximately Rs 46,000 crore. The Union minister asserted that after Operation Sindoor, trust in made-in-India defence platforms has got enhanced. Operation Sindoor was Indias decisive military action conducted in May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Several defence platforms built in India had played a key role in it. Singh said, Defence exports too have reached a record over Rs 38,000 crore, and in 2013-14, it stood at just Rs 686 crore, and it has grown today 57 times. And, I have not sought the full report, but, currently it should be hovering around Rs 40,000 crore, is my estimate. In his address, he also spoke of Indias journey in various sectors in the last 12 years, the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the importance of human sensitivity in the age of AI, including in the field of journalism. The event was hosted in Delhi to mark 80 years of the national Hindi daily Navbharat Times. Indias journey over the last 12 years has been a progression from shortages to self-reliance, from self-reliance to self-confidence, and from self-confidence towards building a Viksit Bharat, Singh said. He said India lays emphasis on both technological development and celebrating its traditions, and this confluence of tradition and technology is the biggest strength of the country in the 21st century. Underlining that AI has touched nearly all aspects of human existence today, he cautioned that while AI can read and analyse data, it cannot feel the pulse of the people, which is where the human sensitivity comes into picture. Singh pointed out that journalism too has been impacted by technological advancements such as AI, but they wont be able to surpass human creativity and intellect. The future success of journalism will depend on how well it establishes the balance and synergy between the capabilities of AI and human empathy. While AI will make journalism faster and more precise, emotional intelligence will ensure that it remains humane and credible, he said. The Union minister also emphasised maintaining credibility in journalism in the era of fake news and misinformation. Terming the medias role in the present era of, what he described as communicative abundance, as more crucial than ever, the defence minister said the challenge today is not lack of information, but its accuracy and reliability. Misinformation severely impacts society and the morale of defence forces, he said, adding that while being the first to report may be important in journalism, disseminating correct news is even more crucial. Especially when the subject concerns the defence forces, national security, or the honour of those who make the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation, every word becomes a matter of national responsibility. The media must always uphold the values of accuracy, objectivity, and impartiality, Singh said.
The Ambush Within Kashmirs Politics
There are moments in politics when an event is smaller than the meaning it carries. Mehbooba Muftis visit to the under-construction AIIMS at Awantipora may outwardly appear to be a quarrel over protocol. It is a symptom of something far more serious: the approaching fragmentation of Kashmirs remaining regional political space. The controversy is not about a hospital alone. It is about power, access and legitimacy. In a normal state, a former chief minister visiting a public project might be dismissed as political theatre. In Jammu and Kashmir, now reduced to a Union Territory with a truncated elected government, such theatre acquires constitutional meaning. When a leader with no official executive authority appears to review a major public project, speaks to a Union minister, and projects herself as a parallel channel of delivery, the act cannot be treated as innocent activism. It becomes a political signal. That signal is simple: the elected Chief Minister may sit in office, but Delhi remains the source of real power; and those who can access Delhi can claim relevance even after electoral defeat. This is why the National Conference has reacted with anger. But anger is not strategy. Omar Abdullahs government is already boxed in by the Union Territory structure. Its authority is narrower than its electoral mandate. Police, public order, security, services and much of the operational architecture of power remain outside its full command. In such a situation, every public embarrassment becomes larger than itself. Every rival intervention becomes an attempt to show that the Chief Minister is ceremonial while others retain operational access. The PDP understands this very well. Since its defeat in the 2024 Assembly elections, it has behaved not like a marginal party reconciled to opposition, but like a formation preparing for the next opening. It has activated cadres, expanded its public ceremonies, cultivated joinings from different walks of life, built digital amplification networks, and kept itself constantly visible. Its messaging is relentless: PDP is not finished; PDP is rebuilding; PDP has reach; PDP can still deliver. There is nothing illegal in political rebuilding. But the timing, method and symbolism matter. The PDP is not merely criticising the government from the opposition benches. It is attempting to occupy a parallel space between the people and Delhi. That is precisely the space New Delhi has always found useful in Kashmir: a regional actor weakened enough to be dependent, but visible enough to be useful. What should worry the NC most is not Mehbooba Muftis provocation alone, but the visible lethargy within its own ranks. Many of its legislators appear tired, faceless and absent from the Valleys everyday political anxieties. The PDP, despite its reduced Assembly strength, is acting with the energy of a party that has understood the vacuum. Its joinings, digital amplification, field visits and public theatre are steadily reclaiming ground that NC has surrendered through complacency, entitlement and invisibility. In politics, numbers matter; but presence matters more. At present, PDP is behaving like a defeated party preparing for recovery, while NC often looks like a victorious party already exhausted by power. Mehbooba Muftis political history makes the suspicion unavoidable. The PDP shared power with the BJP after the 2014 election. The alliance was sold as pragmatism, but it eventually became one of the great moral and strategic disasters of Kashmirs mainstream politics. It gave the BJP an unprecedented opening into J&Ks governing structure and helped normalise a political relationship that many in the Valley had voted precisely to prevent. The later collapse of that alliance did not erase the channels it had created. Nor did it erase the memory of the calculations that made it possible. This is where HaseebDrabus role becomes politically significant. As one of the central intellectual architects of that arrangement, he understood better than most the grammar of Delhi-facing Kashmir politics: speak one language to the Valley, another to the Centre, and present compromise as inevitability. Today, when he warns of mutual ruin, the diagnosis is partly correct. But it is incomplete unless one asks who benefits from that ruin. The answer is obvious. The BJP does. The BJP does not need to storm the Valley. It only needs to wait while NC and PDP hollow each other out. It has already built a formidable position in Jammu. It has expanded its organisational presence through booths, beneficiary networks, youth outreach, womens mobilisation, cultural events, seminars, student exchanges and the language of integration. Its strategy is patient. It is not merely contesting elections; it is re-educating aspiration. It is telling young Kashmiris that dynastic politics produced paralysis, while integration promises mobility. It is telling women that the old parties remembered them only as voters, mourners and beneficiaries, while the new system sees them as participants in a national project. It is telling the middle class that politics is obsolete; delivery is the future. This is not casual outreach. It is cadre construction. At the same time, the coercive atmosphere of national politics cannot be ignored. Across India, opposition parties have repeatedly alleged that central agencies are used as instruments of pressure. The message travels without being spoken: power can investigate, summon, freeze, frighten and fracture. In a small political ecosystem like Kashmir, where many legislators carry vulnerabilities, ambitions or grievances, the mere possibility of such pressure can become a political weapon. One does not need to arrest everyone. One only needs to make everyone believe that a file exists. This is why disgruntlement within NC matters. The Union Territory has fewer ministerial rewards. Many legislators who expected office, influence or patronage must now live with diminished spoils. Such frustration is politically combustible. If Delhi ever decides to engineer a shift, it will not necessarily need a dramatic 1984-style coup. It can proceed more quietly: cultivate defectors, encourage independents, pressure vulnerable MLAs, amplify PDPs attacks, promote development-minded local formations, and then present the resulting instability as proof that regional parties cannot govern. The irony is bitter. NC and PDP should have understood this danger better than anyone. Yet they are structurally incapable of acting together. Their hostility is not routine competition; it is dynastic enmity. The Abdullahs and Muftis do not merely disagree. They delegitimise each others right to speak for Kashmir. Each sees the other not as an adversary, but as an intruder into its inheritance. NC carries the greater historical burden. For decades it treated Kashmir as a family estate and rural Muslim sentiment as electoral raw material. It invoked identity when useful, negotiated compromise when convenient, and converted public anxiety into dynastic advantage. Its record is scarred by opportunism, arrogance and devastating miscalculations. The Rajiv-Farooq accord did not heal Kashmir; it deepened the cynicism that culminated in the disaster of 1987 and the insurgency that followed. PDP later emerged by exploiting that disillusionment, only to reproduce its own version of family control, emotional symbolism and opportunistic compromise. Now both are being outplayed by a national party that studies society more seriously than they do. The most likely outcome is not immediate collapse. It is staged erosion. First, PDP will continue to embarrass NC through hyper-visible interventions. Second, NC will overreact, appearing insecure and arrogant. Third, BJP will watch, occasionally nudge, and repeatedly argue that Kashmirs regional parties are self-serving, dynastic and incapable of stable governance. Fourth, sections of the public, exhausted by unemployment and political theatre, will drift towards whichever formation appears capable of delivery. Finally, by the next major electoral cycle, BJP may not need to win the Valley outright. It may only need enough allies, defectors, independents and fragmented regional actors to become the unavoidable pivot. That is the ambush. Kashmirs old parties are not being destroyed from outside alone. They are assisting in their own reduction. PDP may believe it is staging a comeback. NC may believe it is defending its mandate. But the larger result may be the same: the Valleys political voice will become divided, discredited and negotiable. The tragedy is not that NC and PDP are fighting. The tragedy is that they are fighting inside a cage whose keys are elsewhere. And while they scratch at each other, the hunter waits.
MHA declares 23 Indian, Pakistani nationals as terrorists
New Delhi, Jul 4:The Ministry of Home Affairs, under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Saturday designated 23 individuals as 'terrorists'. The decision is a significant step under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's 'zero tolerance policy' against terrorism, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the PM Modi-led government was committed to dismantling every terror module to ensure the safety of India and its people. In a post on X, Shah said, Pursuing PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji's vision of zero tolerance against terror: the MHA today declared 23 dreaded terror functionaries affiliated with banned organisations as terrorists under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The designated terrorists are involved in anti-India activities, carrying out terror attacks, inciting terror, trafficking arms, infiltrating through the border, facilitating terrorist organisations, raising funds and recruiting terrorists. Out of the 23 terrorists announced today, 17 are Pakistani nationals, and 6 are Indian nationals. However, all of them at present operate terrorist activities from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He said that formally designating these individuals as terrorists would not only help dismantle the terror ecosystem by curbing their financial networks, movements, recruitment capabilities, and terror-linked activities, but also send a strong message of deterrence against anti-national and terrorist acts. The Union Home Minister said it would.enhance the capacity of security and law enforcement agencies to initiate coordinated legal, investigative, and preventive actions at both national and international levels. Following the amendment to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) by the Central Government in 2019, a total of 57 individuals have so far been designated as terrorists under Section 35 of the said Act and listed in its Fourth Schedule. The Centre has now designated the 23 additional individuals as 'terrorists as well, listing them in the Fourth Schedule. They have been identified as Masood Ilyas Kashmiri alias Mufti Masood Ilyas, Masood Ilyas, Abu Mohammad, and Muhammad Masood Ilyas; Muhammad Musadiq alias Doctor, Abdul Mannan, Sajjad, Hamza, and Wahid Khan! Mufti Muhammad Asghar Khan alias Abu Saad and Saad Jimmy; Hafiz Abdul Shakoor alias Qari Jarrar; Abdullah Jihadi alias Shahnawaz and Al-Hijama; Firdous Ahmed Bhat; Ghulam Farid alias Gulshan Kumar and Farid; Haroon Rashid Ganai alias Shunu; Bilal Ahmed Mir alias Ahmed Bhai; Abid Qayoom Lone; Nazir Ahmed Gujjar alias Abu Manazil; Abdul Rauf alias Hafiz Abdul Rauf and Hafiz Abdur Rauf; Ashfaq Ahmed alias Ishfaq Ahmed; Hafiz Khalid Walid alias Hafiz Khalid Naik and Khalid Walid; Maulana Imdad Ullah Makki alias Maulana Imdad, Imdad Bhai, and Maulana Imdadullah; Maulana Saifullah Khalid alias Waliul, Muhammad Salim, and Wajid; Muhammad Yaqoob alias Abu Sumama, Samama Ilyas, and Waris Ali; Maulana Yusuf Taibi alias Muhammad Yusuf; Owais Farooz alias Owais Ahmed Mir and Owais Farooz Mir; Qari Yaqub Sheikh alias Qari Muhammad Yaqub Sheikh, Yaqub Sheikh,.Qari Sheikh Muhammad Yaqub, and Muhammad Yaqub; Rana Iftikhar alias Rana Waleed Atif, Rana Iftikhar Haider, Rana Iftikhar Ahmed, and Haider Khan; Wasim Noor Jat alias Qari Wasim and Muhammad Shahid Faisal alias Ustad, Muhandis, and Zakir. According to the MHA, Masood Ilyas Kashmiri is a Pakistani national affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). He is a close confidant of Maulana Masood Azhar and the key coordinator for infiltration into Kashmir. He is actively involved in recruiting youth into terrorist groups via social media and raising funds for terrorism. He orchestrated the attack on a police checkpoint near the PDP office in Sunjwan, Jammu, in April 2022, the MHA said. It said that Muhammad Musaddiq is a Pakistani national affiliated with JeM. He serves as the launching commander for the Lasiyakot sector, facilitating infiltration across the border via tunnels. He has been involved in sending consignments of arms and ammunition to India using drones. Additionally, he was involved in conducting reconnaissance of strategic locations such as the RJB complex in Ayodhya, the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, and the IOCL refinery in Panipat, the MHA said. It said Mufti Muhammad Asghar Khan is a Pakistani national affiliated with JeM. He serves as the JeM 'Amir' (chief) and head of its military wing in PoK. He is one of the key conspirators behind the terrorist attack on the Indian Army camp in Nagrota, Jammu. He runs camps in Muzaffarabad to provide jihadist and military training to terrorists, the MHA said. It said Hafiz Abdul Shakoor alias Qari Jarrar is a Pakistani national and is affiliated with JeM and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM). He facilitated the infiltration of three Pakistani terrorists via the Samba-Kathua sector for the attack on the Nagrota Army camp. He participated in the Afghan war during 199596 and coordinates terrorist activities with the assistance of the ISI. He is a member of the JeM's governing council (Shura), the MHA said. It said Abdullah Jihadi is a Pakistani national and is affiliated with JeM. He is a co-conspirator of Mufti Asgar Khan and facilitates the infiltration of terrorists into the North Kashmir region. He has attempted to incite hatred and disaffection against the Government of India. He used to manage several launching camps located in the Kupwara and Baramulla districts, the MHA said. It said Firdous Ahmad Bhat is an Indian national, currently based in Pakistan, associated with Lashkar-e-Toiba. He serves as a 'launching commander' for the group, having crossed into Pakistan via the Wagah border in 2018 using valid travel documents. He facilitates safe passage for foreign terrorists across the Line of Control (LoC). Additionally, he is involved in supplying weapons to Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and radicalising the youth of South Kashmir to recruit them into terrorist activities, the MHA said. It said Ghulam Farid is a Pakistani national and is affiliated with JeM. He served in the Pakistan Army from 2001 to 2005. Subsequently, in September 2008, he entered India illegally via Bangladesh. He was arrested in Jammu in December 2008 and was later deported to Pakistan in July 2019, the MHA said. It said Haroon Rashid Ganai is an Indian national, currently residing in Pakistan, and is affiliated with LeT. He travelled to Pakistan with valid documents in March 2018 and joined LeT there. He incites youths from the Kashmir Valley to join terrorist ranks and supplies arms and ammunition to OGWs for carrying out terrorist activities, the MHA said. It said Bilal Ahmed Mir is an Indian national, currently residing in Muzaffarabad, PoK, and is affiliated with LeT and The Resistance Front (TRF). Operating from across the border in Pakistan and PoK, he conspires to incite and instigate local Kashmiri youth to engage in jihad. Furthermore, he is directly involved in managing the illicit supply chain of arms, ammunition, and logistics into Kashmir, the MHA said. It said Abid Qayoom Lone is an Indian national,.currently residing in PoK, and is affiliated with LeT. He travelled to Pakistan via the Attari check post in February 2020 and did not return. He is involved in planning attacks on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir and raising funds for LeT. He smuggles narcotics on a large scale from Pakistan into India through an organised syndicate operating along the LoC, with the proceeds used to finance terrorist activities, the MHA said. It said Nazir Ahmed Gujjar is an Indian national, currently residing in Islamabad, Pakistan, is affiliated with LeT. He crossed the LoC into PoK in 2006. He recruited local youths to revive terrorist activities in the Doda and Kishtwar regions. He has been a key operator in sending consignments of arms and ammunition into Indian territory via drones across the Samba and R S Pura sectors, the MHA said. It said Abdul Rauf is a Pakistani national associated with LeT, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), and Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF). He has been a senior leader of Lashkar since 1999 and operates under the direct command of the terrorist Hafiz Saeed. He works to mobilize funds and public support for Lashkar at an international level under the guise of charitable organisations such as the FIF and Al-Madina Welfare Trust. The United States has designated him a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' (SDGT), the MHA said. It said Ashfaq Ahmed is a Pakistani national associated with JeM. He joined JeM in 2000 and is in charge of 'Shuaba Hadith' and the Al-Rehmat Trust (JeM's charity wing) in Bahawalpur. He received jihadi training in PoK. He was identified as one of the subscribers of the Pakistani mobile numbers used during the January 2016 attack on the Pathankot Air Force Station, the MHA said. It said Hafiz Khalid Waleed is a Pakistani national associated with LeT and JuD. He is the son-in-law of LeT chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and has been a member of the organisation's Central Advisory Committee since 2003. He was the key mastermind behind the June 2016 Pampore attack, in which eight Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed. He was designated as a global terrorist by the US Department of the Treasury in August 2012, the MHA said. It said Maulana Imdad Ullah Makki is a Pakistani national and is affiliated with JeM. He serves as the Ameer (chief) of Jaish's prisoners' wing Shoba-e-Aseeran and heads the organisation's legal affairs. He is a very close associate of Maulana Masood Azhar and his deputy, Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar. He was involved in real-time coordination with the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot airbase in January 2016, the MHA said. It said Maulana Saifullah Khalid is a Pakistani national and is affiliated with LeT and the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML). He serves as the General Secretary of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League and previously held the position of President of the Milli Muslim League (MML). He has headed several wings of Lashkar and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, such as the propaganda department and the control and reform wing. In April 2018, the United States designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), the MHA said. It said Muhammad Yaqoob is a Pakistani national affiliated with LeT. He currently operates as an LeT operational commander based in Islamabad (Chatta Bakhtawar). He coordinates financial and logistical support for other LeT cadres active in the Kashmir Valley to carry out terrorist activities in India. A case has been registered against him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) at the CI Kashmir Police Station in Srinagar, the MHA said. It said Maulana Yusuf Taibi is a Pakistani national associated with LeT and JuD. He is a key leader within LeT and JuD, currently affiliated with the organisation's control and reform, Dawat-o-Islah, wing. He previously headed the 'Jamia Al-Dirasat Al-Islamia Trust' (JADIAT), a Karachi-based entity linked to LeT and JuD. Currently, he is associated with the 'Al-Qadsia Islamic Center' in Lahore and delivers Friday religious sermons at the Sargodha Markaz in Punjab, the MHA said. It said Owais Farooz is an Indian national associated with LeT. He travelled to Pakistan via the Wagah border on a valid Indian passport in April 2018 and joined the terrorist ranks of the LeT. In January 2023, his brother, Farzan Feroz, was arrested by the Srinagar Police with 450 grams of heroin (valued at approximately Rs 9.95 lakh) and an LeT letterhead. The NIA Court, Pulwama, has issued a proclamation order against him under Section 82 of the CrPC, the MHA said. It said Qari Yaqub Sheikh is a Pakistani national and is affiliated with the PMML and JuD. He is a central leader of JuD and a member of its central 'Dawati team' (proselytisation team). He contested the 2018 Pakistani general election as a candidate for the Milli Muslim League (MML). He has played a prominent role in missions to raise funds for Lashkar and JuD in Saudi Arabia. In August 2012, the United States designated him as a global terrorist, the MHA said. It said Rana Iftikhar is a Pakistani national associated with LeT and JuD. He is a close associate of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and serves as the key manager of finances for the organisation's Kashmir operations. He heads 'Shoba-e-Aseeran,' the wing responsible for the welfare of the families of terrorists who have been killed or are imprisoned in Indian jails. He was arrested in 1993 after being wounded during an encounter in the Mendhar sector of Jammu & Kashmir and remained incarcerated in an Indian prison until 2004, the MHA said. It said Wasim Noor Jat alias Qari Wasim is a Pakistani national associated JeM. He is a JeM 'launching commander' responsible for operations in the Kotli area. During 202122, he was involved in activities related to dropping weapons and ammunition into Indian territory via drones. He was previously arrested by security forces in October 2008 and was incarcerated at Kot Bhalwal Central Jail, Jammu, from 2012 to 2015; following his release, he was deported to Pakistan, the MHA said. It said Muhammad Shahid Faisal holds Pakistani nationality, who is originally Indian and is currently active in Rawalpindi) and is affiliated with LeT, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS. He is the key mastermind and handler behind the 2012 Bengaluru LeT conspiracy case and the 2013 Nanded LeT case, which involved plots for the targeted killings of right-wing politicians and journalists. He fled to Pakistan in 2013 with the assistance of terrorist Farhatullah Ghori. Investigations reveal his involvement as an online handler in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case (2024), the Mangaluru cooker blast, and the Al-Hind ISIS module case. He recruits youth through anti-national and jihadist videos shared on social media and YouTube and Telegram channels like 'Sawat-al-Haq,' the MHA said.
LG Sinha suspends 8 officials in separatist book row
Jammu, July 4: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday ordered the suspension of eight officials and supervisory staff of School Education Department (SED) for serious negligence, dereliction of duty, while recommending two books for Higher Secondary classes, containing highly inappropriate content related to separatism, having potential for creating law and order situation. He also instructed for disengaging a contractual Computer Assistant with immediate effect in this connection and ordered a probe by a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer into the matter. LG Sinhas action was preceded by the withdrawal of both the controversial books by the School Education Department, a day earlier, amid political uproar over their inclusion in the government school libraries under Samagra Shiksha. As per the order issued by SED Commissioner Secretary on behalf of the Lieutenant Governor, in view of the seriousness of the matter and misconduct of the suspended officials, Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary), Power Development Department Ashwani Kumar has been appointed as Inquiry Officer to conduct an enquiry. He has been asked to submit his report to the competent authority within 30 days. Rohit Sharma, a senior Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officer and Additional Secretary, General Administration Department has been appointed as the Presenting Officer in the case. Lieutenant Governor has also ordered for banning and blacklisting the authors and publishers of both the books viz., Personalities and Legends of J&K, authored by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena, published by Oberoi Book Service, Jammu and Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir authored by Dr Sushant Giri, published by Anurag Prakashan, Delhi. The suspended officials also included a Principal and four lecturers. The order mentioned that Samagra Shiksha got the library grant for procurement of age-appropriate books for 18328 government schools and 394 PM SHRI School and accordingly Expression of Interest (EOI) was floated. 4 Sub Committees of experts and academicians from both Jammu and Kashmir divisions were constituted for selection of such (age appropriate) library books. These sub committees were for Primary Classes (Series 1); Upper Primary Classes (Series 2); Secondary Classes (Series 3) and Higher Secondary classes (Series 4). These four Sub Committees selected 463 books, submitted by 364 publishers. Out of these books, two books have been noticed on July 3, 2026 to have inappropriate content. Accordingly, these books were withdrawn vide Order No Edu/SPD/SMS/Quality/1338-43/2026-27 dated July 3, 2026 and Edu/SPD/Quality/1331-36-2026-27 dated July 3, 2026 respectively, the order specified. These two books were i.e., Personalities and Legends of J&K and Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir. 123 copies of Personalities and Legends of J&K books were supplied to Jammu, Ramban and Udhampur districts and 128 copies of Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir were supplied to Jammu and Baramulla districts. It has come to the notice of the department that these books have highly inappropriate content, it is quite evident that there was serious negligence, dereliction of duty and lack of proper due diligence was carried out by the members of the Sub Committee Series 4 and Supervisory Officers while recommending such books which contained content related to separatism which has potential for creating law and order situations, SED Commissioner Secretary Ram Niwas Sharma observed. He stated that keeping in view these facts and circumstances of the matter, the members of the Sub Committee Series 4 appeared to be responsible for such serious lapses and negligence - unbecoming of government servants. Therefore, these official(s) and supervisory staff of the School Education Department in terms of Rule -31(1 )(a) Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification. Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956, are hereby placed under suspension, with immediate effect, he ordered. Those suspended included Fazil Imran Saddiqui, Coordinator Library, posted under Samagra Shiksha; Gurjeet Singh, Assistant Coordinator, also posted under Samagra Shiksha; Sanjeev Sharma, Principal GHSS, Kore Pannu, Kathua; Shazia Kouser, Academic Officer, SCERT, Jammu; Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir, Lecturer, BHSS, Wathoora, Budgam; Niranjan Sharma, Lecturer GHSS, Badhat, Kishtwar; Renu Mengi, Lecturer DIET, Jammu and Rajmohini, Lecturer GGHSS, Poonch. During the period of suspension, they will remain attached with the Administrative Department (School Education Department). It is further ordered that Sheikh Suheel Ahmad, Computer Assistant (Contractual) assisting the Coordinator Library, Samagra Shiksha is hereby dis-engaged with immediate effect from his contractual engagement, SED Commissioner Secretary directed. Further, it has been ordered that the authors and publishers of both the books are hereby banned and blacklisted, henceforth, in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Furthermore, any printed material authored and/or published by them shall also be withdrawn from the Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the order read. The matter vis--vis two books came to the fore and soon turned into a big controversy after the Jammu Kashmir Peoples' Forum (JKPF)- a social and non-political organisation flagged it on July 3, 2026, expressing anguish and concern over the contents of Great Personalities and Legends of J&K (Series 4), purchased by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme during the 2025-26 academic session. It pointed out that the book was distributed to school libraries after being marked with the Samagra Shiksha logo. The book dedicates special chapter for terrorist and convicted person like Maqbool Bhat and separatists leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Masarat Alam, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Maulvi Farooq, as great personalities of Jammu and Kashmir and has glorified their characters although they have worked throughout their life against the erstwhile State of J&K, now UT of J&K and Government of India as secessionists elements and pleaded the cause for a separate nation of J&K, JKPF had argued in its press statement. It contended that the personalities highlighted in the book always challenged the sovereignty of Government of India over J&K State and advocated the accession of J&K with Pakistan. Giving a detailed account vis--vis content of the book, JKPF had appealed to the Lieutenant Governor of UT of J&K to look into the matter. The competent authority should take appropriate action including the criminal prosecution against the guilty persons particularly the officials of Samagra Shiksha Scheme and the expert Committee which cleared this book for purchase and circulation to the libraries of different government and government aided schools, it demanded, besides seeking a probe into the matter. The issue on July 4 was picked up by the J&K BJP and JKPCC, reiterating the demands echoed by JKPF. As the issue turned into a major controversy, the Lieutenant Governor, by evening, issued a detailed order, almost meeting all the demands of concerned stakeholders.
Inquiry report against Justice Varma will be tabled this session: Om Birla
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SC rejects adulterers privacy claim, upholds Delhi HC order
PTI New Delhi The Supreme Court has upheld the Delhi High Court ruling that a wife can seek assistance of the court to collect evidence such as call detail records (CDRs) and hotel booking details of her husband to substantiate her charge of adultery levelled against him. A bench of Justices Manmohan and K Vinod []
Celebratory firing death: Bihar BJP MLA gets 4-yr jail
PTI New Delhi A Delhi court on Saturday sentenced Bihar BJP MLA Raju Kumar Singh to simple imprisonment for four years for the death of a woman in celebratory firing in 2018, with the judgeslamming gun culture and saying we need neither a Singham nor a Pushpa in a state governed by the rule of []
Industry experts defend ethanol blending, say E20 fuel safe for vehicles
PTI New Delhi Industry executives on Saturday sought to allay concerns over the use of 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol (E20), saying the fuel has undergone rigorous scientific testing, is safe for both new and older vehicles, and is critical for reducing Indias dependence on imported crude oil. At a news conference organised at the []
LG suspends 8 officials over separatist content in school books
Appoints inquiry officer Srinagar, Jul 04: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has ordered the suspension of eight School Education Department officials and directed a high-level inquiry after two books supplied to government school libraries in Jammu & Kashmir were found to contain content that authorities described as inappropriate and linked to separatism. The action was taken through an order issued by the School Education Department on Saturday. The government said the books had been selected under the Samagra Shiksha library scheme and later withdrawn after concerns were raised over their content. According to the order, grants had been released for procurement of age-appropriate books for 1,832 government schools and 394 PM SHRI schools across J&K. The department stated that four expert committees had been constituted to select library books for different class groups. Out of 463 books submitted by 364 publishers, two were subsequently found to contain objectionable material and were withdrawn on July 3. The books identified are Personalities and Legends of J&K by Hilal Ahmad and Santosh Meena, published by Oberoi Book Service, Jammu, and Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir by Dr Sushant Giri, published by Anurag Prakashan, Delhi. Officials said 123 copies of the first book were supplied to schools in Jammu, Ramban and Udhampur districts, while 128 copies of the second book were distributed in Jammu and Baramulla districts. The department observed that members of the concerned selection committee allegedly failed to exercise due diligence while recommending the books and termed the lapse a case of negligence and dereliction of duty. The suspended officials include library coordinators, academic officers, principals and lecturers associated with the selection process. They will remain attached with the Administrative Department during the suspension period. The government has appointed Ashwani Kumar, IAS, Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education Department, as Inquiry Officer to investigate the matter. Rohit Sharma, JKAS, Additional Secretary in the General Administration Department, has been appointed as Presenting Officer. The inquiry report has been sought within 30 days. A contractual computer assistant attached with Samagra Shiksha has also been disengaged with immediate effect. The order further directs that the authors and publishers of the two books be banned and blacklisted in J&K and that all printed material authored or published by them be withdrawn from the Union Territory.
Foreigner among 3 held with MDMA worth Rs 14 lakh in Greater Noida
One of the accused, a Nigerian man, was allegedly out on bail in an earlier NDPS case; police are probing links to a wider network
Delhi Gymkhana Club staff, members challenge Centres fresh eviction move in HC
Responsible Social Media: Time To Scroll With Conscience
In an age of instant outrage, the share button carries more power than we admit There was a time when news travelled slowly in Kashmir. A rumour would move from one chai shop to another, from the masjid courtyard to a village lane, taking hours or days to harden into fact. Today, the same rumour can reach lakhs of people in minutes. One forward in a WhatsApp group, one tweet, one reel on Instagram and a half truth begins to shape real lives, real emotions, and sometimes real violence. This is the age of social media, and we are living inside its constant storm. For many in Kashmir, social media has been a lifeline. It has connected families across borders and continents, given a voice to the unheard, and allowed local stories to reach global audiences. Yet, alongside this empowerment runs a darker current: misinformation, trolling, character assassination, and the slow erosion of trust in institutions and in each other. The question before us is simple but urgent: will we allow social media to shape us irresponsibly, or will we learn to use it with conscience and care? From window to weapon At its best, social media is a window: a way to view the world beyond our limited surroundings. A student in Baramulla can follow lectures from professors in Delhi or London. An artisan in downtown Srinagar can find customers in Mumbai or Dubai. A local environmentalist can document the shrinking of the Dal Lake and inspire others to act. These are real gains, and we cannot wish them away. But the same platforms can easily become weapons. An edited clip taken out of context can tarnish a persons reputation. A fake quote attributed to a leader can deepen communal fault lines. A sensational headline, designed only to attract clicks, can drown out sober analysis and patient reporting. We have seen how quickly anger builds online, and how slowly it recedes. The problem is not technology itself; it is the way we, as users, choose to behave on it. Social media does not think; it only amplifies what we feed into it. When we reward noise over nuance, hatred over humility, and speed over accuracy, we become active participants in our own poisoning. The illusion of consequence free speech One of the biggest illusions social media creates is that words have no consequences. Behind a screen and a username, it feels easy to mock, insult, spread rumours, or casually forward unverified claims. The person on the other side of the screen becomes an abstract idea, not a human being with a family, a career, and a fragile sense of dignity. In our society, where honour and respect carry deep meaning, an irresponsible post can be devastating. A single allegation, even without proof, can cling to someones name for years. Young people, already navigating intense academic and social pressures, can be pushed into anxiety and depression by online bullying and constant comparison. We often speak of azadi-e-bayan freedom of expression but rarely about zimmedari-e-bayan responsibility of expression. The two must go together. Freedom does not mean the right to harm others with lies, half truths, and cruel jokes. In the physical world, we understand this clearly. We know we cannot walk into a crowded market and shout fire just to watch the chaos. Yet online, we too easily accept equivalent behaviour as just a joke or just a forward. The epidemic of the just a forward mindset Perhaps the most dangerous phrase of our time is: I only forwarded it. It is the perfect excuse and the perfect escape. By hiding behind it, we refuse to take ownership of what we circulate. But forwarding is not a neutral act. When we click share, we are putting our personal stamp on information. Friends, family, and colleagues often trust a message precisely because it came from someone they know. That trust is a precious social currency. To waste it on unverified content is more than laziness; it is a form of betrayal. Responsible social media use begins with a simple discipline: pause before you forward. Ask basic questions. Who is the source? Is there any credible reporting behind this claim? Does the message use excessive emotion, insult, or fear to push you into reacting? Is it attacking a community, a person, or an institution without real evidence? If the answer is unclear, the most responsible choice is often not to share at all. When anger becomes entertainment Another troubling trend is the way anger has been turned into entertainment. Platforms reward engagement likes, comments, shares and nothing draws engagement faster than outrage. As a result, the loudest, most aggressive voices often rise to the top of our feeds. We have normalised public shaming and humiliation as if they are harmless spectacles. A minor mistake by a public figure, a teacher, or even an ordinary citizen can trigger an avalanche of insults, memes, and abuse. People join these online mobs not always because they truly care about justice, but because it feels thrilling to be part of something dramatic. Yet what gets lost in this theatre of anger is any hope of genuine dialogue. There is no space for nuance, for apology, for second chances. Once a person is declared guilty by the court of social media, no explanation seems sufficient. In such a climate, many choose silence over participation. The cost of speaking, especially for those already marginalised, feels too high. A healthy society must find ways to express disagreement without dehumanising the other. Our history and culture are rich with traditions of debate, poetry, and argument. We can disagree sharply while still recognising the humanity of those we oppose. Social media, used responsibly, can revive that spirit. Used recklessly, it reduces us to angry caricatures shouting into the void. Protecting the young mind The heaviest price of irresponsible social media is often paid by the young. Teenagers and children are growing up in a world where likes and followers can become measures of self worth. The pressure to appear perfect online always happy, always successful, always beautiful is relentless. In a place like Kashmir, where young people already face many social challenges, the additional burden of online performance can be overwhelming. Cyberbullying, anonymous harassment, and the spread of intimate or doctored images are not abstract issues; they are real threats to the mental health and safety of our youth. Parents, teachers, and community leaders cannot afford to treat social media as a private playground where adults have no role. Conversations about digital ethics, privacy, and consent must become as common as conversations about studies or career choices. Young people need not only access to technology, but also guidance on how to use it with wisdom. The role of media and institutions It is easy to place all responsibility on individual users, but institutions, too, must look inward. Media organisations that chase clicks through sensational headlines, unverified breaking news, or inflammatory opinion pieces contribute to the chaos. When established outlets mirror the worst instincts of social media, they surrender the credibility that once set them apart. Institutions whether governmental, educational, or religious often struggle with how to engage online. Some remain silent, allowing rumours to flourish. Others respond with heavy handed attempts at control, which only deepen mistrust. What is needed instead is a commitment to transparency and credible communication. When institutions explain decisions clearly, provide timely updates, and correct their own mistakes publicly, they help build a healthier information environment. In such a space, rumours have less room to breathe. Towards a culture of digital responsibility Responsible social media is not a new app we can download; it is a culture we must build, click by click. That culture begins with individual choices but must be reinforced by families, schools, religious bodies, media houses, and civil society. Some steps are simple, almost obvious: Verify before you share. Refuse to participate in online abuse, even when you dislike the target. Teach children and younger relatives about privacy, consent, and the risks of oversharing. Support platforms and pages that prioritise accuracy and civility over drama. Take regular breaks from the endless scroll to reconnect with real conversations and real surroundings. None of this requires a law or a regulation. It requires a decision: to treat our digital actions as moral actions, not casual gestures. A shared responsibility Kashmir has known the cost of careless words spoken in anger and suspicion. We understand, perhaps more than many, how quickly narratives can harden and how slowly wounds can heal. In such a landscape, the way we use social media is not a small matter; it is a question tied to our social fabric, our mental health, and our democratic future. The smartphone in our hand is both a mirror and a megaphone. It reflects who we are and amplifies what we choose to send into the world. The choice before us is stark: do we add to the noise, or do we become custodians of a more thoughtful, compassionate conversation? Responsible social media does not mean silence. It means speaking with care, listening with patience, and remembering that behind every profile is a person. In an age where a single post can travel farther than a lifetime of spoken words, that reminder may be the most important responsibility of all. ( The Author is a Columnist and Postdoc Researcher)
DDA plans major urban overhaul to transform Delhi
Honeytrap gang that robbed people busted, 5 held
Gang ran online friendship club to choose victims, stole cash, phones, cars from them
Delhi govt. transfers 52 finance officers, promotes 19
60-year-old held for rape of 2 year-old girl
The horrific incident took place in the Vijaynagar area, triggering widespread outrage and swift police action.
From Bloom to PRISM: Rethinking Learning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
What should education help a child become when information is everywhere, answers are instant, and artificial intelligence can write, explain, translate, calculate, design and create? For many years, a good classroom was often judged by what students knew and how well they could reproduce it. A good student remembered the lesson, answered the teachers questions, completed the written work and performed well in the examination. A good teacher explained clearly, maintained order, completed the syllabus and prepared students for tests. Many of us grew up in such classrooms. Many of us also became teachers in them. These classrooms were not without value. They gave structure to learning. They built habits of attention, memory and hard work. They introduced generations of learners to literature, science, mathematics, history and the wider world. We should therefore be careful before dismissing the past simply because a new technology has arrived. Yet something has clearly changed. A child with access to artificial intelligence can now ask for a summary of a chapter, a translation of a poem, an explanation of a science idea, a draft speech, a set of mathematics questions or even a project plan. Within seconds, AI can produce an answer that might once have taken hours to prepare. This creates a difficult question for education: If machines can increasingly provide answers, what should human beings learn to do better? An emerging idea called PRISM, presented as a framework for AI-native education, offers one possible response. Its five pillars are: P Problem Finding. R Reasoning. I Innovation. S Solutioning. M Mastery. The idea is attractive because it shifts attention from merely knowing answers to finding meaningful problems, thinking carefully, creating possibilities, building useful solutions and learning through reflection. But attractive ideas should not be accepted merely because they sound new. Education has seen many frameworks arrive with bold claims. Some deepen practice; others simply rename what good teachers have always done. PRISM, therefore, deserves both interest and careful questioning. This article reflects on PRISM in relation to Blooms Taxonomy, NEP 2020, NCF-SE 2023, competency-based assessment, teacher agency and the everyday realities of Indian classrooms. We Need Not Throw Bloom Away Most teachers are familiar with Blooms Taxonomy. Even when they do not use its formal language every day, they understand its basic idea: learning should move beyond simple recall. The original taxonomy, developed in the 1950s, helped educators think about different levels of learning. The revised version later expressed these through familiar action words: Remember Understand Apply Analyse Evaluate Create Its contribution to education has been enormous. It helped teachers ask better questions. It reminded curriculum planners that learning is more than memorising facts. It encouraged assessment designers to move beyond recall. Consider a simple example from an English classroom. A teacher may ask: Who wrote the poem? This checks memory. The teacher may then ask: What is the poem about? This checks understanding. A further question may be: How does the poet create a feeling of loss? Now the learner must analyse. And finally: Write a short poem that expresses a similar feeling in the context of your own community. Here, the learner creates. This progression remains useful. AI does not make it meaningless. The problem lies elsewhere. In many classrooms, Blooms Taxonomy has sometimes been reduced to a ladder of verbs pasted into lesson plans. Teachers may write, analyse, evaluate and create in their learning outcomes while the actual classroom still depends on explanation, copying and recall. A higher-order verb on paper does not automatically create deeper learning. Therefore, the case for PRISM should not begin by declaring Bloom outdated. That would be too simple. A better question is: What does Bloom not fully address about learning in a world where humans increasingly think and work alongside intelligent machines? That is where the conversation becomes interesting. The Real Change: Answers Are Becoming Easier to Get For centuries, access to knowledge was limited. Books were scarce. Teachers were major sources of information. Libraries mattered because information was difficult to obtain. Today, the situation is different. A Class IX student can ask an AI tool to explain photosynthesis in simple language. A Class XII student can request a comparison of two poems. A teacher can generate ten questions on a chapter. A learner can translate a paragraph from English into Urdu or Hindi. A student can even ask AI to suggest ideas for a science project. The educational challenge is no longer only access to answers. The deeper challenge is knowing: Which question is worth asking? Which answer can be trusted? What evidence supports it? What has the AI missed? Whose voice is absent? Is the answer fair? Does it fit the local context? What should we do with this knowledge? These are deeply human questions. This is why PRISM begins not with remembering but with problem finding. P Problem Finding: Learning to Notice What Matters Schools are very good at giving students problems. Solve this equation. Answer these questions. Write this essay. Complete this experiment. But life rarely works like a textbook. In real life, the first challenge is often to discover what the actual problem is. Imagine a school where attendance falls sharply during Autumn. A traditional task may ask students to calculate the attendance percentage. That is useful. A PRISM-style task would go further: Why does attendance fall? Is weather/season the main reason? Is transport a problem? Are some children affected more than others? Does the school timetable matter? What evidence do we need before reaching a conclusion? Now the learner is not merely solving a problem chosen by someone else. The learner is learning to see the problem. This has a strong connection with NEP 2020, which calls for less dependence on rote learning and greater attention to critical thinking, inquiry, creativity, problem-solving and meaningful learning. It also connects with NCF-SE 2023, which places strong emphasis on competencies, active learning, discussion, inquiry and the use of knowledge in real situations. In an Indian classroom, problem finding need not begin with expensive technology. A child may notice that drinking water is wasted near the school tap. A group may observe that younger children struggle to read signboards. Students may notice plastic waste near a local stream. A Class XI learner may ask why girls participate less in certain sports. A child in Kashmir may wonder why traditional stories known to grandparents are disappearing from younger childrens lives. Each observation can become the beginning of learning. The teachers role changes from saying, Here is the problem; solve it, to asking, What do you notice? What concerns you? What would you like to understand better? That is a small change in language, but a major change in learning. R Reasoning: Thinking With AI, Not Surrendering Thinking to AI AI can produce confident answers. Confidence, however, is not proof of truth. This makes reasoning one of the most important educational needs of our time. Suppose a student asks AI: Why are floods increasing in my region? The AI may provide a polished answer involving climate change, urban growth, drainage, deforestation and changing rainfall patterns. Should the student simply copy it? No. The learner should ask: Which of these reasons apply to my region? What local evidence is available? Are there government records? What do residents say? Has the AI confused one region with another? Are there other explanations? This is where PRISM connects strongly with the aims of Indian education reform. NEP 2020 repeatedly moves the educational conversation towards critical thinking, inquiry, discussion and problem-solving. NCF-SE 2023 also encourages learners to engage with knowledge rather than merely receive it. A competency is not simply something a learner knows. It involves the ability to draw upon knowledge, skills, values and judgment in a meaningful situation. Reasoning is, therefore not an extra skill to be taught after the syllabus is complete. It should be present inside the teaching of language, mathematics, science, social science, art and vocational education. Consider a literature classroom. Instead of asking only: What is the central idea of the poem? A teacher might ask: The AI gives this interpretation of the poem. Do you agree? Which words or images in the poem support your view? The student now reads the text, examines an AI response, forms a judgment and supports it with evidence. The AI has not replaced thinking. It has become something to think with, about and sometimes against. I Innovation: Giving Learners Permission to Try Innovation is often misunderstood as invention on a grand scale. We imagine laboratories, robots, start-ups and major discoveries. But in education, innovation can begin with a simple question: Can we do this in a better way? A group of students notices that newly admitted children are unable to understand school instructions because the language of home differs from the language used in school. What might they do? They could create picture cards. They could record simple audio instructions in local languages. They could design a small multilingual welcome booklet. They could collect familiar words from parents and grandparents. They might use AI to help draft or organise contentbut then ask local speakers to check whether the language is natural and correct. This is innovation rooted in a real need. Such work connects closely with the spirit of NEP 2020 and NCF-SE 2023: experiential learning, multilingualism, art integration, vocational exposure, creativity and meaningful links between school knowledge and life. Innovation also requires permission to fail. This is difficult in classrooms where every answer is marked right or wrong, and every mistake reduces a score. A learner who fears error will rarely experiment. Teachers, therefore, need to create spaces where a first attempt may be incomplete, a model may fail, and an idea may be revised. The message should be: Show me what you tried. Tell me what happened. What will you change next? That is not lowering standards. It is teaching learners how improvement actually happens. S Solutioning: Moving from Ideas to Useful Action The word solutioning may sound unfamiliar, and it deserves careful use. In simple terms, it means moving from an idea to a solution that can be built, tested, improved and used. Imagine that students identify food waste during the school lunch break. They discuss the problem and suggest several ideas. One group proposes awareness posters. Another suggests measuring daily waste. A third recommends smaller first servings with the option of taking more. A meaningful learning process would not end with colourful charts. Students might: observe waste for a week, collect simple data, speak with cooks and students, try one small change, measure what happens, reflect on the result, and improve the plan. This is where learning becomes action. The value of the idea lies not merely in its creativity but in whether it helps. This has direct relevance to project-based learning, vocational education, art education and community-linked learning. A school project should not always end with a file submitted to the teacher. It can end with a tested model, a public presentation, a community message, an improved process or a visible contribution. For Indian classrooms, however, we must remain practical. Not every school has advanced technology. Not every child has a device. Not every teacher has enough time or freedom. PRISM should therefore not become another expensive programme. A meaningful solution may be a hand-drawn map. It may be a low-cost water-saving device. It may be a local-language reading card. It may be a better seating arrangement. It may be a peer-support system. Good education begins with available resources, not imagined resources. M Mastery: Learning, Reflecting and Improving In many schools, learning ends when marks are given. The student submits work. The teacher checks it. The score is recorded. The class moves on. PRISMs idea of mastery asks us to think differently. Mastery is not perfection. It is the growing ability to learn, reflect, adapt and improve. A student writes an essay. The teacher gives feedback. The student revises it. A group presents a project. Peers ask questions. The group improves its explanation. A child reads aloud, listens to a recording of the reading, notices difficulty with pauses and tries again. A teacher completes a lesson and asks: Which children participated? Who remained silent? What did students misunderstand? What should I change tomorrow? This, too, is mastery. The idea has a close relationship with formative assessment, which is central to competency-based education. Assessment should not merely declare what a learner has achieved at the end. It should help the learner take the next step. This is also where reflection journals, portfolios, peer feedback, self-assessment, observation notes and simple rubrics become valuable. PRISM and Competency-Based Assessment If teaching changes but examinations remain unchanged, classroom change will remain limited. A teacher may encourage inquiry throughout the year, but if the final examination rewards only recall, students quickly understand what truly counts. Competency-based assessment asks learners to use what they know. Consider two questions. Question A: Define water conservation. Question B: Your school uses more water than it did last year. Study the given information, identify two possible causes, suggest one practical response and explain how you would know whether it worked. The first question checks recall. The second asks the learner to interpret, reason, propose and judge. A PRISM-informed assessment could go further by examining: Problem Finding: Did the learner identify the real issue? Reasoning: Did the learner use evidence and explain choices? Innovation: Did the learner consider useful possibilities? Solutioning: Could the idea be tried and tested? Mastery: Did the learner reflect and improve? This approach connects naturally with the move towards competency-based assessment in Indian education. Yet we must avoid turning PRISM into five more boxes on a checklist. Not everything valuable can be reduced to a score. Sometimes the teachers observationThe child changed her view after hearing stronger evidencetells us more about learning than a number out of ten. Teacher Agency: No Framework Can Replace the Teachers Judgment This may be the most important point. Education reform often arrives at the teachers desk as instruction: Use this framework. Complete this template. Upload this evidence. Follow this format. When this happens, even a good idea can become a burden. PRISM will have little value if teachers are asked merely to write P, R, I, S and M in lesson plans. Real change requires teacher agencythe professional space to understand learners, adapt teaching, choose examples, change pace, use local knowledge and make informed decisions. A teacher in a rural school in Ladakh may need a different example from a teacher in Delhi. A multilingual classroom in Kashmir may require a different path from an English-medium classroom in Bengaluru. A teacher with forty-five students cannot simply copy a model designed for a class of fifteen. The Indian classroom is not one classroom. There are many classrooms. Some are digitally rich. Some have one shared device. Some have unstable internet access. Some bring together several home languages. Some teachers handle multi-grade groups. Some schools have strong laboratories; others depend on locally made materials. Therefore, an AI-native framework must never become an AI-dependent framework. The strength of a teacher lies partly in knowing what will work here , with these learners , under these conditions . AI can assist. A framework can guide. But professional judgment must remain human. Does PRISM Replace Bloom? It Should Not The claim that education has simply moved from Bloom to PRISM is appealing, but intellectually, it is too neat. Bloom and PRISM appear to answer different questions. Bloom helps us ask: What kind of thinking is the learner doing? PRISM helps us ask: How might the learner move from noticing a meaningful problem to building, testing and improving a response? These are not the same question. A learner working within PRISM will still need to remember facts, understand ideas, apply knowledge, analyse evidence, evaluate choices and create new responses. In other words, Blooms cognitive processes remain present. PRISM may therefore be more useful as a companion to Bloom than as its replacement. This distinction matters because education has a habit of presenting each new framework as the death of the previous one. Good teaching rarely develops that way. It grows by adding, testing, adapting and sometimes returning to older wisdom with new understanding. Questions We Must Ask Before Celebrating PRISM A critical view is necessary. The infographic makes a bold claim about a movement from Bloom to PRISM and presents PRISM as a framework for the future. Before schools or systems adopt it widely, several questions deserve answers. What is its research base? Who developed and tested it? How does it differ from inquiry-based learning, design thinking, project-based learning and experiential learning? Can the five pillars be assessed fairly? Will it work in large classrooms? How will it serve children with limited access to technology? How will it address AI bias, false information and privacy? Could AI-native education create a new divide between children who have rich digital access and those who do not? These are not arguments against PRISM. They are the very kind of questions PRISM itself should welcome. A framework centred on reasoning must be open to reasoned examination. A Simple Classroom Picture Imagine a Class VIII classroom studying waste. The teacher does not begin with a definition on the board. She asks students to observe the school for two days. They notice discarded paper, food waste and plastic wrappers. They decide that food waste is the most urgent issue. That is Problem Finding. They collect information, speak with students and compare possible causes. That is Reasoning. They generate several ideas and choose one to test. That is Innovation. They try smaller first servings for one week and measure the change. That is Solutioning. They study the result, identify weaknesses and improve the plan. That is Mastery. The teacher can still teach language, mathematics, environmental studies and communication through this work. Students can calculate quantities, write reports, conduct interviews, prepare graphs, make presentations and reflect on their learning. No expensive laboratory is required. The change lies mainly in the design of learning. The Future Is Not About Learning Less The line at the bottom of the PRISM infographic says: The future is not about learning more. Its about becoming more. It is a powerful line, but it needs care. Children still need knowledge. They need vocabulary to think. They need facts to reason. They need concepts to understand the world. They need stories, history, science, mathematics, art and language. A child cannot think critically about what they do not know. So the future is not about learning less. It is about refusing to stop at knowing. The deeper promise of PRISM lies here. A learner should be able to notice what others overlook, ask a better question, examine evidence, work with people and tools, create a possible response, test it, learn from failure and begin again. This vision has much in common with the direction of NEP 2020 and NCF-SE 2023. It supports the move towards competency, experience, inquiry, creativity, flexibility and meaningful assessment. It also speaks to the need for stronger teacher agency. Yet PRISM should enter Indian education with humility. It should not become another poster. It should not become another compulsory template. It should not suggest that AI is the centre of education. The centre of education remains the growth of the human person. Perhaps, then, the movement from Bloom to PRISM is not a journey from an old framework to a new one. Perhaps it is a reminder that education must keep asking what learning is for. Bloom helped generations of teachers move beyond recall. PRISM now invites us to consider another movement: from receiving problems to finding them, from accepting answers to reasoning about them, from repeating ideas to creating possibilities, from completing tasks to building useful responses, and from chasing marks to becoming lifelong learners. The final question is therefore not whether PRISM will replace Bloom. The more important question is: In an age when machines can produce more answers than any child can remember, can our schools help young people develop the wisdom to ask what matters, the courage to create, the judgment to choose well, and the humility to keep learning? That may be the real work of education in the age of AI. (The Author is Senior Academic Officer, English, SCERT Kashmir School Education Department, J&K)
CCT Announces Kausalyam 2026 And Threads of Hope Bazaar Craft Events
Crafts Council of Telangana (CCT) has announced Kausalyam 2026 and Threads of Hope Bazaar, two craft events that will raise support for the Bharoon Embroidery Cluster and artisans affected by the March 15 fire at Dastkar Nature Bazaar in New Delhi.
Noida schools failing to upload RTE data to lose fee aid
Education dept sets final deadline of July 10 for nearly 250 defaulting pvt schools
Two of Noida burglary gang that used slingshots to check if homes empty before striking arrested
Uber Driver, BCom grad Among Two Held For Series Of Burglaries
Noida, Ghaziabad set up secondary medical boards for palliative, end-of-life care
