Maharashtra Minister of State for School Education Pankaj Bhoyar on Thursday said that the state government has taken a slew of steps to further improve the safety of school buildings across the state.

He was replying to a half-hour discussion in the state council, and clarified that instructions will be given not to hold classes in buildings found to be dangerous in the structural audit.

The Election Commission of India said on Thursday that 89.7 per cent of the existing Bihar electors have given their Enumeration Form for inclusion in the draft Electoral Roll to be published on August 1, 2025.

In order to re-verify the electors who have not been found at their addresses even after three visits of Booth Level Officers, the information on these electors who are probably deceased, permanently shifted or have enrolled at multiple places is being shared with District Presidents of political parties and 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents.

Announcing a slew of ambitious projects aimed at making environment cleaner and greener, the Forest and Wildlife Preservation Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak today revealed the launching of a pilot project involving plantation of flowery saplings on both sides of the highways. A State level special committee would oversee the project and conduct reviews at regular intervals.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Thursday was conferred the 'Super Swachh League City Award' by President Droupadi Murmu, recognising the civic agency’s sanitation and waste-management services.

The award given to NDMC under Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 was jointly received by Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood, NDMC Chairman Keshav Chandra and NDMC Vice Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal.

He said, "Under the leadership of the world’s most popular Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, cleanliness has become a nationwide movement. For the first time since independence, someone spoke about cleanliness from the Red Fort, and people took it seriously. Today, cleanliness is a mass movement across the country."

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said the government would soon announce a special relief package for the disaster-affected families after consulting the Cabinet.

He told the media here after returning from the national capital that the government has limited resources, and it was not possible to compensate for the damages without liberal help from the Union government.

"The state has sought a special relief package from the Union government to support the rehabilitation of the families, who have lost their homes, agricultural land and livelihood," the Chief Minister said.

In a relief to Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, the Telangana High Court, on Thursday, quashed the case registered against him under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The High Court, which had reserved its orders on the Chief Minister’s petition on June 20, pronounced the same on Thursday.

The case was registered in 2019 against Revanth Reddy, his brother Kondal Reddy and another person for allegedly abusing N. Peddi Raju, Director, Razole Constituency SC Mutually Aided Cooperative Housing Society Limited, by his caste.

Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya quashed the First Information Report (FIR) on the ground that the prosecution failed to produce any evidence that could link the accused to the incident. The judge observed that the case was registered based on allegations, and the same could not be grounds for conviction without proving the presence of the accused at the site of the alleged offence.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday announced 125 units of free electricity per month for every household in Bihar, sparking both praise and sharp criticism.

While the ruling NDA hailed the announcement as "historic" and transformative for the poor, Opposition parties accused the state government of copying their schemes without originality.

Making the declaration on social media, CM Nitish Kumar stated that from August 1, 2025 -- beginning with the July billing cycle -- domestic consumers in Bihar will receive 125 units of electricity for free, benefiting approximately 1.67 crore families.

The Chief Minister termed the initiative a step toward "relief and empowerment" of the people.

He also announced plans to generate up to 10,000 MW of solar energy in Bihar over the next three years. Solar power plants will be installed on rooftops or nearby public land with consumer consent.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has raised questions over the prolonged delay in justice for Kanhaiyalal, whose murder became a political flashpoint ahead of the previous Assembly elections.

Taking to social media just ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Jaipur, Gehlot alleged that despite quick action by the Rajasthan Police, the case has seen no substantial progress under the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which falls under Shah’s ministry.

Gehlot recalled that before the 2023 Assembly elections, Amit Shah repeatedly invoked the Kanhaiyalal case in election rallies across Rajasthan to target the then Congress-led state government.

“In this case, the Rajasthan Police arrested the accused within just four hours. Both were found to be linked to the BJP. Yet the NIA took over the investigation overnight. We did not object, despite that,” Gehlot stated.

Slamming the Akali Dal for its baseless and desperate attempts to divert attention from the ongoing vigilance investigations, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Baltej Pannu today said that the Akali spokesperson is clearly rattled as the law is finally catching up with them and their families.

In a major push to boost rural empowerment and youth employment, the Cooperative and Employment Festival is set to take place on Thursday in Dadiya village of Rajasthan's Jaipur district, marking the celebration of International Cooperative Year 2025.