National News
Civil servants’ role crucial in achieving Viksit Bharat, says PM Modi on Civil Services Day

New Delhi, April 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed the 17th Civil Services Day programme in the national capital, lauding the relentless efforts of India’s civil servants and underlining their key role in realising the dream of a ‘Viksit Bharat.’
Speaking at Vigyan Bhawan, PM Modi paid rich tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, recalling his iconic 1947 address in which he called civil servants the “steel frame” of India.
“This Civil Services Day is special for several reasons. We are celebrating 75 years of our Constitution and the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. On April 21, 1947, he had described you (civil servants) as the steel frame of India,” he said.
Reflecting on Patel’s vision, the Prime Minister said, “He laid out the ideals of a civil servant — one who serves the nation with honesty, discipline, democratic spirit, and dedication. These lessons of Sardar Patel become even more relevant as we move towards the resolution of Viksit Bharat.”
PM Modi said that achieving the dream of a Viksit Bharat will require every arm of progress to work in synergy.
“Our bureaucracy and policy-making cannot function with outdated methods when the world is evolving so quickly. Our young generation is growing up with rapid technological changes, new gadgets every two to three years. We must match this pace,” he stated.
Highlighting areas where India must grow — from clean energy to sports and space — the Prime Minister stressed, “Everyone is looking towards you (civil servants). You have a big responsibility to help India become the world’s third-largest economy. We must work together to ensure this goal is achieved.”
This year’s theme for Civil Services Day is ‘Holistic Development of India,’ which the Prime Minister explained as “no village left behind, no family left behind.”
He also presented the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration, recognising top-performing officials behind initiatives like PM Vishwakarma, Poshan Tracker, Siksha Setu Axom, and Sugamya Pustakalaya.
“Good governance is not defined by the number of schemes but by the impact it creates on the ground,” he said. Citing examples, he mentioned districts where solar power and improved attendance systems have shown positive results and praised the efforts of public administrators across the country.
He added that in the last decade, India has moved beyond incremental progress to transformative change.
“Today, India’s governance model focuses on next-generation reforms. Through technology and innovation, we’re bridging the gap between government and citizens. These changes are visible not only in urban and rural areas but also in remote corners of the country,” he said.
PM Modi cited Bhagalpur in Bihar, where the registration of pregnant women in Jagdishpur block rose from 25 per cent to over 90 per cent. In Marwah block of Jammu and Kashmir, institutional deliveries increased from 30 per cent to 100 per cent, reflecting improved healthcare access.
Touching upon India’s global leadership, the Prime Minister highlighted the scale of its G20 presidency. “For the first time in G20 history, more than 200 meetings took place across over 60 cities, creating a wide and inclusive footprint. This is the holistic approach of today’s India,” he said, adding, “India is not just participating — India is leading.”
He noted that while many now talk about government efficiency, India is already ahead of other countries by a decade. “We have eliminated delays and are creating new processes. Over 40,000 compliances have been removed to boost ease of doing business,” he said.
The Prime Minister recalled early opposition to reforms, including compliance reduction and decriminalisation of business errors.
He said that the foundation laid over the past decade has greatly strengthened the path towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
“We cannot evaluate our work or performance by comparing it to previous governments…We must set our own benchmarks. We need to measure how far we still are from the goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat by 2047’. The time for tallying up what we have achieved so far is over.
“India is now the most populous country in the world. Ensuring saturation of basic facilities should be our top priority,” the Prime Minister added.
“In the last ten years, we built 4 crore (40 million) permanent houses for the poor, but now we have a target of building 3 crore more. We have provided tap water connections to 12 crore homes in 5–6 years. Now, we must ensure every household has access to tap water as soon as possible. In ten years, we have built over 11 crore toilets for the poor. Now, we need to quickly achieve new targets related to waste management,” he mentioned.
He also launched two e-books — Holistic Development of Districts and Select Innovations — and honoured top-performing districts in schemes like Ayushman Bharat Yojana, PM Vishwakarma Yojana, Har Ghar Jal, and PM Awas Yojana.
Awarded districts included Rajkot in Gujarat, Gomti in Tripura, Tinsukia in Assam, Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir, and Koraput in Odisha.
Blocks recognised under the Aspirational Block Programme included Gamharia (Jharkhand), Parappa (Kerala), Narnoor (Telangana), Ganganagar (Tripura), and Rama (Madhya Pradesh).
Maharashtra
Mumbai 26 July 2005 Floods: When City Was Submerged With 944 mm Of Rain In 24 Hours Leaving 914 Dead, Thousands Displaced

Every year, the monsoon season disrupts life across Indian cities with heavy rainfall, waterlogging and traffic chaos. But July 26, 2005, stands out as a day that etched itself into Mumbai’s history as one of its darkest and most devastating.
On that day, Mumbai received an unprecedented 944 mm of rain in just 24 hours, nearly half of its annual average. Between 8 am and 8 pm alone, 644 mm poured down. It remains the eighth-highest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded anywhere in the world. The city, unprepared for such intensity, was brought to a grinding halt.
Internet Flooded With Old Visuals, Still Haunting Mumbaikars
Several netizens took to social media to share haunting visuals from the 2005 Mumbai floods, recalling the day when the city came to a complete standstill. Many described it as an unforgettable chapter in Mumbai’s history, marked by chaos, resilience and unity.
While some reflected on the overwhelming scale of the disaster, others remembered how the crisis revealed the undying spirit of Mumbai, with strangers helping each other and communities coming together in the face of adversity.
Mumbai’s Lifeline Took Serious Hit, 52 Local Trains Damaged
As floodwaters rose, roads vanished beneath torrents of water. Local trains, the city’s lifeline, stopped completely, with tracks submerged and 52 trains damaged. Thousands were stranded in stations, schools and offices overnight. Low-lying areas like Dharavi and the Bandra-Kurla Complex were heavily inundated, while vehicles were swept away or immobilised.
The scale of disruption was staggering. Over 37,000 auto-rickshaws, 4,000 taxis, 900 BEST buses and 10,000 trucks and tempos were either damaged or rendered unusable. Even the skies were no refuge. For the first time ever, Mumbai’s airports shut down, with Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and the Juhu airstrip closed for more than 30 hours. More than 700 flights were cancelled or delayed, creating nationwide ripples in air traffic.
Over 900 Killed, Property Worth ₹5.5 Billion Destroyed
The economic loss was estimated at Rs 5.5 billion (around 100 million USD). But the cost in human lives and suffering was far greater. According to official reports, 914 people lost their lives, many due to drowning, electrocution and landslides. More than 14,000 homes were destroyed, leaving thousands without shelter, food or drinking water.
Communication networks also failed. Around 5 million mobile users and 2.3 million landline connections went dead for several hours, hampering emergency rescue operations. Emergency services were overwhelmed, as the city grappled with a disaster it had never imagined.
The 2005 floods served as a harsh wake-up call, exposing Mumbai’s vulnerability to extreme weather. In the years since, the government has worked on improving disaster preparedness, such as creating specialised disaster management units, upgrading early warning systems and installing floodgates and dewatering pumps at critical points.
Yet, even two decades later, as visuals from 2005 resurface each year, a haunting question persists: Is Mumbai truly prepared to face another flood of that magnitude?
National News
Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh Slams PM Modi’s ‘Boasted Friendship’ With Donald Trump, Cites US Engagement With Pakistan

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “much boasted friendship” with US President Donald Trump is now proving to be “hollow” and cited several overtures the latter recently made to Pakistan.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh also alleged that Indian diplomacy was failing in the light of the US partnering with Pakistan.
“The abject failure of Indian diplomacy, especially in the past two months, is revealed most tellingly by four facts. These expose the tall claims made by the Prime Minister and his drum-beaters and cheerleaders,” he said in his post.
Ramesh said that since May 10, 2025, Trump has claimed 25 times that “he personally intervened to stop Operation Sindoor, threatening India and Pakistan that if they didn’t bring the war to a halt, they would not have a trade agreement with the USA.” On June 10, 2025, he claimed, Gen Michael Kurilla, the head of the US Central Command, hailed Pakistan as a phenomenal partner of the US in countering terrorism.
On June 18, 2025, Trump held an unprecedented luncheon meeting with Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in the White House, Ramesh noted.
“Two months earlier, Munir’s inflammatory, incendiary, and communally provocative remarks had provided the backdrop to the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks on April 22, 2025,” he said.
Just yesterday, the Congress leader claimed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and thanked Pakistan for its partnership in countering terrorism and preserving regional stability.
“The PM’s clean chit to China on June 19, 2020, has already cost India heavily. His much boasted friendship with President Trump is now proving to be hollow,” Ramesh said in his post.
National News
Government Cracks Down on OTT Platforms Over Obscene Content

New Delhi, July 25, 2025 — In a significant move targeting explicit digital content, the Government of India has taken steps to block several over-the-top (OTT) platforms accused of streaming obscene and vulgar material. Platforms such as ALTBalaji, ULLU, and a few others have come under the scanner for allegedly violating Indian content regulations and societal norms.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, acting on multiple complaints from citizens and civil society groups, initiated the ban after conducting an internal review. Authorities stated that certain shows and web series available on these platforms contained content that was “sexually explicit,” “vulgar,” and “not suitable for public viewing,” especially in households with children.
The decision has stirred a wider debate around content regulation and creative freedom in India’s rapidly growing digital entertainment sector. While officials maintain that the step was necessary to uphold decency standards and protect cultural values, critics warn of overreach and censorship.
A senior official said, “This is not about targeting creative freedom. This is about ensuring that OTT content does not cross legal and moral boundaries. There are clear guidelines, and platforms are expected to adhere to them.”
The platforms affected reportedly failed to comply with warnings issued earlier regarding their programming. Despite advisory notices and reminders to filter or restrict adult content, several web series continued to feature nudity, explicit scenes, and suggestive themes without proper age-gating or viewer discretion tools.
In recent years, OTT platforms have grown in popularity, especially among younger audiences, with many bypassing traditional film and TV regulations. The government had previously introduced a self-regulation framework for digital content providers, but critics say enforcement has been lax, leading to the current clampdown.
Some media rights advocates and artists expressed concern over the lack of transparency in the banning process and called for an independent review mechanism. Others, however, welcomed the move, stating that unchecked access to graphic content could have a detrimental effect on social behavior and minors.
As of now, the banned platforms remain inaccessible in India. The Ministry has hinted at further actions if other OTT providers do not align their content with the prescribed code of ethics and IT rules.
This development marks a turning point in India’s digital media regulation and sets the stage for possible stricter content monitoring across streaming platforms in the future.
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