SC orders fresh survey, says no State can blockade traditional elephant routes

The Supreme Court on Monday direct-ed the Centre to hold a nationwide check and take steps to ensure the free passage of wild ele-phant herds through their ancient corridors across States without human will or habitations blocking or impeding their natural routes.

Murmu gives assent to Bill to rename Kerala as Keralam

President Droupadi Mur-mu has given assent to a Bill to rename Kerala as Keralam, with the legisla-tion now becoming a law. The Lok Sabha had passed the Kerala (Altera-tion of Name) Bill, 2026, on August 11, followed by the Rajya Sabha the next day.

Centre should reconsider Mines Bill, Satheesan urges Modi

Chief Minister of Keralam V.D. Satheesan has written to Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi urging a relook at the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, that "restrict the taxation powers of States over min-eral rights and mineral-bearing lands."

Losing forest for trees

India is counting trees when it should be restoring forests

A performance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of the Green India Mission (GIM) has found that a scheme conceived to heal India's forests had, across a decade, achieved almost nothing it set out to do. Instead of improving forest quality over 1.4 million hectares, the mission only managed 0.11 million not even a tenth of the target.

Decoding India's growth in merchandise exports

Data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on August 13, 2026, showed India's exports gaining momentum, despite the ongoing war in West Asia, driven in particu-lar by the growth in export of merchandise (goods).

The road to E20 is not without bumps

• India's petrol fleet is divided between newer E20-compatible vehicles and a much larger legacy fleet built for E5 or E10.

• Ethanol's solvent and water-absorbing properties can affect older fuel systems, including tanks, hoses, pumps and injectors.

Black money in elections hampers democracy, says SC

The Supreme Court ob-served in a judgment on Monday that ridding the electoral process from the influence of black money is a responsibility of the Elec-tion Commission of India (EC). "Black money in the electoral process is one such aspect that compro-mises democracy, rule of law and the electoral pro-cess itself," a judgment authored by Justice Sanjay Karol noted.

Can SHANTI Act override court on compensation for nuclear disasters, asks SC

The Supreme Court on Monday asked if statutory thresholds prescribed by the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act of 2025 could possibly forbid constitutional courts from directing payment of suitable compensation to victims in cases of nuclear plant-related accidents.

India to lease 2 MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones for Navy

The Defence Ministry on Monday signed a 1,943-crore contract with the U.S.-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. to lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian High-Altitude Long-Endurance remotely piloted aircraft systems for the Navy for 30 months.

India set for record soyoil import on Russia-Ukraine war

India's soyoil imports are set to hit a record high in August as competitive prices prompt refiners to boost purchases for festive demand, while disruptions to sunflower oil shipments due to the Russia-Ukraine-war push buyers to switch oils, dealers said.