National News
Reduce fuel tax ‘in spirit of cooperative federalism’, PM Modi to states
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged the states to reduce the Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel “in the spirit of cooperative federalism”.
During a virtual meeting with chief ministers, Prime Minister Modi stressed how the country fought a long battle against Covid with the spirit of cooperative federalism.
“The same should be done for economic issues, given the impact of global issues like the ongoing war-like situation in the world,” he added.
“Let me give you a small example. The Centre reduced the excise duty on petrol and diesel last November to reduce the burden on the citizens. We also requested the states to reduce their taxes and transfer the benefit to the people. Some reduced taxes but some states did not give any benefit from this to the people”, he said.
“Due to this, the prices of petrol and diesel in these states continue to remain high. In a way, this is not only an injustice to the people of these states but it also has an impact on neighbouring states,” he added.
While listing out the states that did not reduce VAT on fuel during the steep hikes, Prime Minister Modi said, “I am not criticising anyone, just discussing”.
The Prime Minister said it’s natural that the states that reduced their taxes will suffer losses in revenue but several states took that “positive step” anyway.
Crime
Delhi model stabbed to death inside her home by gym trainer

New Delhi, Aug 27: A 21-year-old student and model was allegedly stabbed to death inside her home in West Delhi Tilak Nagar, with police suspecting the involvement of her gym trainer.
The deceased, identified as Muskan, was reportedly alone at her second-floor residence when the alleged attack took place on Wednesday. The accused, identified as Imran, allegedly entered the house, attacked her with a knife and fled from the scene.
Hearing Muskan’s cries for help, neighbours rushed to the residence and found her seriously injured and lying in a pool of blood. She was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment, but succumbed to her injuries.
“We are searching for the culprit,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhishek Gupta told reporters, adding that the police were examining CCTV footage from the surrounding area as part of the investigation.
Muskan’s friend Aman said she was the youngest among three sisters. According to him, one of her elder sisters, who is currently in Chandigarh, called and asked him to rush to Muskan’s house after learning about the attack.
“I received a call, but I don’t remember the exact time. They told me they were not at home and that someone had entered the house and stabbed Muskan,” a friend of the deceased told media.
The friend said the alleged attacker was identified as Imran, who worked as a trainer at the same gym where Muskan used to exercise.
Aman said he immediately contacted another friend and asked him to reach the house and ensure that Muskan was taken to hospital. By the time he arrived, an ambulance had already reached the spot and shifted her for medical treatment.
He also claimed that Muskan’s sisters had previously raised concerns about Imran allegedly harassing her.
“He had troubled her earlier as well, and after this incident, suspicion immediately fell on him,” Aman said.
Police are conducting further investigation, and efforts are underway to trace and apprehend the accused.
National News
2027 UP polls: Akhilesh Yadav announces annual aid of Rs 40,000 to every woman

Lucknow, Aug 26: Ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday made several major election announcements focusing on women, including an annual financial assistance of Rs 40,000 to every woman under the ‘Stri Samman Samriddhi Yojana’.
SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav said that this amount would be further increased if they came to power in Uttar Pradesh.
He also promised laptops for girls who passed the 12th grade, transportation facilities for girl students, reopening 26,000 closed primary schools, and ensuring women’s safety.
Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav, referring to the “A” in the party’s PDA as “half the population”, said that respecting women and empowering them economically is the party’s priority.
PDA stands for Pichhda (backward classes), Dalit, and Alpsankhyak (minorities), a core social coalition strategy coined by Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav.
She appealed to women not to be “bound by old customs and social restrictions”.
During the event, Akhilesh Yadav said that the progress of the country and the state is impossible without the participation of half the population.
He asserted that the Samajwadi Party will work for the respect, security, and economic self-reliance of women.
Taking a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the SP Chief said, “Even those who do not understand technology are now talking about distributing tablets… For the BJP, women have become merely a political slogan.”
Referring to the ‘1090’ women’s helpline and the ‘102’ ambulance service launched during the Samajwadi Party government, Akhilesh Yadav said that the party had done “concrete work” in women’s safety and healthcare.
He raised the issue of women’s reservation, questioning the delay in implementing the Women’s Reservation Act, which had already been passed.
He demanded that women’s reservation be implemented in the upcoming elections.
The SP President also announced transportation facilities for women and female students, and said, “Women should become independent and empowered. Women’s mobility will be improved. Facilities like free metro travel will be available to female students through a card… The Samajwadi Party works to unite people with a progressive mindset, and PDA is its unifying slogan.”
Akhilesh Yadav also took a jibe at the Uttar Pradesh government’s ‘Lokmata Ahilyabai Matrishakti Yatra Yojana’ announced for elderly women.
“We have to keep our offices fully shielded. Our plans are reaching there (the government). I don’t understand why we plan something, and then the information gets leaked. This is the result of making bus travel free for elderly women,” he said.
He added that the Samajwadi Party is a party with progressive ideas and adapts to the times and circumstances.
The SP Chief said that if his government is formed in Uttar Pradesh, the 26,000 previously closed primary schools will be reopened and the conditions of Anganwadi centres will be improved.
He also announced the resumption of the bicycle scheme, saying that bicycles will be provided to students as before under the Samajwadi government.
Regarding women’s facilities, Akhilesh Yadav talked about the construction of better public toilets.
He said that public toilets should be given the respectful name “Izzatghar”.
“The Samajwadi Party would work to alleviate women’s insecurity and provide complete freedom to half the population,” he added.
National News
Jaipur Range Police integrates 101 accident-prone zones with Google Maps under its ‘Operation Safer Road’ campaign

Jaipur, Aug 26: In a major road-safety initiative aimed at reducing accidents and saving lives, the Jaipur Range Police has launched ‘Operation Safer Road’, a technology-driven initiative under which accident-prone zones on national and state highways in the Jaipur Range have been integrated with Google Maps.
The initiative is designed to alert motorists when they approach identified accident-prone locations, enabling them to reduce speed and exercise greater caution before reaching potentially dangerous stretches.
Jaipur Range IG Rahul Prakash said the black spots were identified through a scientific analysis of road accident and fatality data collected over the past three years. He said the objective was not only to identify accident-prone locations but also to use technology to provide timely warnings to motorists and promote safer driving.
Based on accident data from 2023 to 2025, police have identified 101 black spots across the Jaipur Range. The identified locations include Jaipur Rural: 28, Dausa: 24, Kotputli-Behror: 19, Alwar: 11, Sikar: 10, Bhiwadi: 5, Khairthal-Tijara: and Jhunjhunu: 1.
The classification of these locations has been based not only on the number of accidents but primarily on the severity of fatalities recorded at the sites during the three-year period. Under the initiative, motorists using Google Maps for navigation on highways within the Jaipur Range will receive a road-safety alert when approaching a designated accident-prone zone.
The advance warning is intended to encourage drivers to slow down, remain alert and adjust their driving according to road conditions. The Jaipur Range Police has also developed a QR code-based digital facility as part of Operation Safer Road. By scanning the QR code, users can access information about identified black spots through Google Maps.
The information includes the location, risk category, geographical coordinates and other relevant road-safety details. Police officials first conducted a detailed analysis of police records, traffic information and accident data collected from highways. Each identified accident-prone location was subsequently verified geographically and digitally mapped. Technical information related to the locations was then prepared for integration with Google Maps.
IG Rahul Prakash said the initiative represents an important step towards using technology to reduce road fatalities.
Following the pilot implementation in the Jaipur Range, the police have sent a proposal to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) seeking expansion of the system to highways across Rajasthan and eventually other parts of the country.
The Jaipur Range Police expects that timely digital warnings at accident-prone locations will help motorists exercise greater caution and contribute to reducing road accidents and fatalities.
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