Industrial growth hits 23-month high of 7.3%

India's industrial growth hit a near two-year peak of 7.3% in June 2026, fuelled by strong performance in manufacturing, electricity, and capital goods, official data released on Tuesday showed. Analysts, however, cau-tion that this strong perfor-mance might not continue in the face of a lower-than-expected monsoon and continued uncertainty due to the war in West Asia.

Co-existing with tigers outside reserves

India's tiger conservation story is widely regarded as one of the world's most extraordinary wildlife recoveries - a species brought back from near extinction through sustained political commitment, scientific management, and decades of on-ground protection. Since the launch of Project Tiger in 1973, the country's network of protected areas has expanded from nine reserves covering 18,278 sq km to 58 reserves spanning 84,488 sq km, accounting for nearly 2.6% of India's landmass. India's tiger population has risen from 1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 in 2022, firmly establishing the country as home to over 70% of the world's wild tigers. This success has now created a new conservation frontier - the growing proportion of tigers living outside protected areas.

Curbs on panchayat powers in Bengal

West Bengal was among the first States in the country to implement a three-tier panchayat system. With welfare schemes delivered at the panchayat level, gram panchayat members and pradhans gained enormous power.

A provision of the West Bengal Panchayat (Second Amendment), 2026 Bill seeks to transfer financial disbursement rights to panchayat secretaries, executive assistants, and block development officers. 

Centre reissues draft on Western Ghats eco-zone

The Union Environ-ment Ministry has reissued, for the se-venth time in over a de-cade, its draft notification proposing an ecologically sensitive area (ESA) across the Western Ghats, after the previous draft lapsed on July 27 without being finalised.

Nepal PM Shah invited to visit India, says Ministry

India has 'formally' invited Nepal's new Prime Minister Balendra Shah to visit New Delhi, the External Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday. This official confirmation comes days after sections of Nepal's media reported that Mr. Shah's adviser Kumar Ben visited New Delhi in early July and discussed his visit with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congratulated the newly elected Prime Minister on social media soon after Mr. Shah swept the polls in March. 

Study finds multiple dengue virus strains circulating together in India

India may be entering a more perilous phase in its dengue epidemic, with multiple strains of the virus now circulating simultaneously across much of the country, raising concerns over an increased risk of severe disease, and posing fresh challenges for the rol-lout of future dengue vacci-nation programmes.

India curtailed 8,133 GWh solar power to maintain grid security

India curtailed 8,133 gi-gawatt-hour (GWh) of solar power during the April-June quarter this year, according to Minister of State for New and Re-newable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik. of The curtailment and restriction were instituted to "maintain grid security" and "due to mismatch bet-ween commissioning transmission lines and re-newable energy projects, he informed Parliament, quoting figures from the Grid Controller of India.      

'Indian space technology firms raised $200 mn in 2025 led by Bengaluru'

As India's space tech fund-ing reached a record $200 million in 2025 with Benga-luru emerging as the eco-system leader attracting more than half of the money, as per market research firm Tracxn.  Tracxn said in a report the sector raised about $871 million as of July. The top 10 most-funded firms alone account for over 60% of this total, led by In-dia's space tech unicorn, Skyroot Aerospace at $150 million. 

Urban Indian private schools at risk of proximity to toxic lead sites: report

While lead exists naturally in the deep layers of the earth, no amount of lead exposure is safe for humans

When mixed with blood, it can lead to severe kidney and heart problems. In individuals showing no acute symptoms, it can spike blood pressure and lead to sudden heart attacks

In children, lead can be a powerful neurotoxin that degrades myelin, the protective outer layer of the brain, and hampers brain cell connections

Andromeda: galactic middle age

A stronomers have used data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope to piece together the clearest yet map of star formation across most of the Andromeda Galaxy over the last 500 million years. The Andromeda is 2-2.5-times wider than the Milky Way, and the two galaxies have a coin-toss's chance of colliding within the next 10 billion years.