Political Row Over UPI Fee: Congress vs BJP Over 0.4% Merchant Levy on Payments Above ₹2,000

A Pakistan Navy vessel, identified as the Yarmook-class corvette PNS Hunain, reportedly collided with an Indian Navy warship in the North Arabian Sea after executing an aggressive manoeuvre. The Indian warship and its crew suffered no major damage. Following the incident, India lodged a strong protest, with the Ministry of External Affairs summoning Pakistan's Chargé d'Affaires in New Delhi over the violation of the 1991 bilateral agreement. India's Chargé d'Affaires in Islamabad was also directed to lodge a formal complaint with the Pakistan Foreign Office.

A special report highlights the transformation in Mirzapur where the village of Lahuri Yadav received tap water under the Jal Jeevan Mission's Har Ghar Nal Yojana. Nestled in the Vindhya Hills, the settlement of roughly 1,500 residents previously faced severe water scarcity, with women walking nearly five kilometres to collect water from springs and forests. Piped water access began on August 31, 2023, providing major relief to local households. The initiative is part of a broader push across Uttar Pradesh, where more than 2.36 crore rural homes were connected to tap water with over 5.07 lakh kilometres of pipeline laid by March 2025.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has declared the Pakistan-based Shehzad Bhatti network a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed the decision, stating the syndicate was recruited by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence to smuggle arms, explosives, and narcotics, incite youth, and publish hateful digital content. Investigations revealed that Shehzad Bhatti operated out of the United Arab Emirates as a social media influencer, paying local recruits to photograph military installations, railway stations, and convoys moving towards Jammu and Kashmir, besides orchestrating low-intensity attacks. Raids across 14 states led to multiple detentions. Operating under the banner of Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan to mask Pakistani involvement, the network aimed to destabilise Punjab ahead of elections by targeting police personnel, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionaries, and political leaders. The ban enables India to coordinate with Gulf nations and international bodies to choke the syndicate's financial, hawala, and operational networks across West Asia.

Uttar Pradesh has seen a major transformation in rural sanitation under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Over 2.15 crore household toilets were built across the state initially, followed by another 48.99 lakh toilets constructed in the second phase to strengthen rural sanitation infrastructure. The state is also preparing an annual expenditure of approximately 750 crore rupees for maintaining 15.5 lakh drains, septic tanks, and Gobardhan plants. These ongoing efforts have earned Uttar Pradesh the third rank nationally in the Swachh Bharat Mission. Ground visits to Moradabad's Dadori and Mangupura villages demonstrate that the initiative extends beyond toilet construction to include cleaner roads, community toilets, and an active open defecation free drive.