A nationwide strike is underway on Wednesday, following a call by ten trade unions to protest against the Centre's alleged "anti-worker, anti-farmer, and pro-corporate" labour policies.

The general strike, or 'Bharat Bandh', was called by a joint platform of the central trade unions, receiving support from farmer organisations and rural worker groups.

The participating unions include the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), United Trade Union Congress (UTUC), as well as farmers' groups like Samyukta Kisan Morcha and various rural and public sector worker unions, including those from the Railways, NMDC Ltd, and steel industries.

At the core of the agitation is opposition to the four new labour codes passed by Parliament. Trade unions argue that these codes dilute workers' rights by restricting the right to strike, increasing working hours, and reducing employer accountability when labour laws are violated.

Bihar’s capital is set to witness major political activity as Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Patna on July 9 to lead the Grand Alliance’s ‘chakka jam’ against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list.

In a major decision, the Nitish Kumar-led government on Tuesday approved the formation of the Bihar Youth Commission to empower and provide employment opportunities to the youths in the state.

The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, where 43 key proposals, including development plans, appointment processes, and economic proposals, were also approved.

Sharing the development on social media, CM Nitish Kumar posted, “I am happy to inform you that with the aim of providing maximum employment opportunities to the youth of Bihar, training them, and making them empowered and capable, the state government has decided to constitute the Bihar Youth Commission, which has been approved by the cabinet today.”

In a fresh development ahead of Guru Purnima, the Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday extended the interim bail of self-styled godman Asaram until August 12, offering him another round of relief after nearly 12 years in jail.

The Division Bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Vineet Mathur heard Asaram’s petition seeking an extension of his medical bail and granted the relief.

This comes just days after the Rajasthan High Court had earlier granted him interim bail until July 9, and the Gujarat High Court had also provided 30 days of relief on July 3.

Asaram, 86, is currently serving a life sentence following his 2018 conviction in a 2013 rape case. He is presently out of jail on medical grounds.

Following the July 1 interim bail granted by Rajasthan High Court, Asaram left his Jodhpur ashram and reached his Motera Ashram in Ahmedabad on July 7.

Sources suggest he was initially expected to remain there until July 9. However, with the latest extension until August 12, his stay in Ahmedabad is now likely to continue longer.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh has alleged a “deep-rooted conspiracy” aimed at defaming Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and destabilising the state through orchestrated crimes backed by political interests.

“In Bihar, a conspiracy is being hatched to defame Nitish Kumar, to spread terror, commit crimes and promote politically-backed crime,” Singh told reporters on Tuesday.

“Certain people are deliberately orchestrating such acts to tarnish Nitish Kumar’s image, but the truth behind this conspiracy is about to be exposed. Through a particular political gang, disturbances are being created in several parts of Bihar to defame the state government,” he added.

Taking a swipe at the RJD, Singh compared the current administration with that of former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. “This is Nitish Kumar’s government, which punishes criminals, unlike Lalu ji’s government when criminals were promoted,” he said.

Taking cognisance of forest wood and logs that accumulated in the Pandoh dam after last week’s cloudbursts, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu has handed over the investigations to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The logs were sighted in huge quantities floating in the Pandoh Dam in the Mandi district, that got accumulated after being swept down from the hills due to the cloudburst and flash floods.

A spokesperson for the state government on Monday said the government has taken cognisance of the matter and would bring to light the possible reasons behind the accumulation of wood in such a large quantity.

The government, under the direction of the Chief Minister, has now decided to conduct the CID inquiry into the matter.

“The first and foremost reaction to the incidents of cloudbursts and floods was to save the lives of people and provide immediate relief to them, wherein effective measures were underway to bring back normalcy in the flood-hit regions,” said the spokesperson.

Nearly one lakh meritorious students, who secured above 75 per cent marks in class 12th in 2024-25 from the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE), were happy to receive Rs 25,000 in their bank accounts on Friday.

Underlining that India is the fourth-largest economy in the world, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Jitan Ram Manjhi on Friday said that the MSMEs contribute 30.1 per cent to the country's GDP, 35.4 per cent to manufacturing and 45.73 per cent to exports, adding that along with the agriculture sector, MSMEs will play a significant role in India becoming the third-largest economy in the world by 2029.

Jitan Ram Manjhi said that the MSME sector is playing an important role in providing employment to entrepreneurs who invest less than big industries and in making them entrepreneurs. It is also working to provide training to new entrepreneurs from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in rural and urban areas and provide them with loans by providing bank guarantees.

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said on Friday that all partners in the coalition government in the state are equal.

The Jana Sena Party leader stated he never tried to run down Telugu Desam or any party.

He was speaking at Narasimhapuram village in Prakasam district after laying the foundation stone for a drinking water project worth Rs 1,290 crore.

The actor-politician said it was a moment of great satisfaction to lay the foundation stone for the project under the Central Government’s Jal Jeevan Mission, aimed at providing clean drinking water to 22 lakh people across 7 Assembly constituencies, a long-awaited solution to the decades-old drinking water and fluorosis problems.

Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi on Friday confirmed that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar.

"All the leaders of the NDA have agreed that with five parties in the alliance, including ours, the Bihar elections scheduled for November 2025 will be fought under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. Traditionally, the leader under whom the elections are contested becomes the Chief Minister. So naturally, Nitish Kumar will be our face for the CM post. There is no doubt - we are confident of winning under his leadership," Manjhi said.

Asked whether he harbours any desire to become Chief Minister again, the 79-year-old leader ruled out the possibility due to his age and current responsibilities.