New Delhi, Oct 14: The Ministry of Jal Shakti on Tuesday announced an Internship Programme that allows short term exposure to “selected candidates” to be associated with its media/social media activities, along with a Rs 15,000 per month honorarium, an official said.

Under the programme, the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD and GR) seeks to engage students pursuing Graduate or Post Graduate Degrees or are Research Scholars enrolled in recognised University/Institution in the field of Mass Communication as interns.

An honorarium of Rs 15,000 per month and a certificate of internship will be given to the selected candidates on the successful completion of the internship programme, said the official in a statement.

The last date to apply for the six to nine month internship programme is November 24. Those interested in applying for the internship can apply through the online form, which is accessible at it said.

Students, who have completed their graduation in mass communication or Journalism or related fields, or students who are pursuing their PG or Diploma (subject to completion of graduation in mass communication or related field) in the aforesaid fields or MBA (Marketing) from any recognised college/university are eligible subject to conditions as mentioned in the guidelines.

Last week, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, culminated weeks of intensive deliberations on strengthening service delivery and sustainability at the grassroots with a demonstration of the upgraded Rural Piped Water Supply Schemes (RPWSS) module – a major stride towards digital transformation in rural water governance.

DDWS Secretary Ashok K. K. Meena stated that the new RPWSS module will serve as a cornerstone of transparency, accountability, and efficiency under Jal Jeevan Mission.

He said that RPWSS will act as a Digital Registry for Rural Piped Water Supply Schemes (RPWSS) and rollout of unique RPWSS IDs – a step towards smarter and efficient operation and maintenance of rural water infrastructure.

He described the RPWSS ID as a unique digital identity tag for every piped water supply scheme — enabling transparency, traceability, geo-tagged data for effective monitoring, operation and maintenance and data-driven governance.

He urged all States and UTs to prioritise and complete the creation of RPWSS IDs by November 2025, ensuring full data integrity and coverage.

Chennai, Oct 14: Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Tuesday demanded a comprehensive probe into the deaths of 22 children, allegedly caused by the consumption of a contaminated cough syrup manufactured in Tamil Nadu.

Describing the incident as “an unforgivable public health disaster”, he urged the government to fix accountability at every level and ensure that such negligence never recurs.

In a strongly worded statement, Karti said the government must trace the supply chain of the tainted drugs and identify where the lapses occurred.

“How did the medicine pass the quality test? Were proper quality checks conducted at all? Who certified the product as safe? Every one of these questions must be investigated in detail,” he said.

The Congress MP stressed that the deaths of over 20 children cannot be dismissed as mere statistics. His remarks came amid intensified investigations into Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the Tamil Nadu-based company that manufactured the Coldrif cough syrup linked to the tragedy.

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at seven locations across Chennai – including the residence of company owner S. Ranganathan and offices of senior Tamil Nadu Drug Control Department officials – as part of a money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED’s action follows the arrest of Ranganathan (75) by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Madhya Pradesh, with the assistance of Chennai Police, on October 9. He had been absconding since reports of the child deaths in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh surfaced.

Subsequent raids on the company’s Kancheepuram manufacturing facility revealed over 300 safety and regulatory violations, including the use of non-pharmaceutical grade chemicals.

Laboratory analysis in Chennai confirmed that the syrup contained 48.6 per cent diethylene glycol (DEG), a highly-toxic industrial solvent known to cause kidney failure. Officials suspect cost-cutting measures led to the use of substandard ingredients, resulting in the fatal contamination.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray arrived at the Shiv Sena Shivalay on Tuesday morning, joined by party MP Anil Desai. The high-level meeting at the party headquarters was followed by the arrival of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, signalling a rare show of unity among Maharashtra’s opposition leaders.

Later today, an all-party delegation—including Pawar, Thackeray, Congress leaders Balasaheb Thorat and Varsha Gaikwad and others—is set to meet Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer, S. Chockalingam. The meeting is aimed at raising concerns over the ongoing electoral process and ensuring fairness in the upcoming local body polls.

According to Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, who announced the meeting over the weekend, the discussion with the Election Commission is intended to ‘ensure transparency and trust’ in the upcoming civic polls, particularly the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.

Raut noted that maintaining public confidence in the electoral system was vital, saying the meeting was not just a political gesture but a ‘collective effort to safeguard democracy.’

Raut also reached out to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, inviting them to join the all-party delegation. “Meeting the Election Commission has now become a formality, yet it remains necessary to maintain dialogue with this supreme institution in our democratic framework,” Raut wrote in his letter.

He stressed that the local body election dates, expected to be announced soon, should not invite any doubts about the credibility of the process.

Raut confirmed that all parties had responded positively to the initiative. “There is no political motive behind this visit,” he said, adding that the intention was to strengthen democratic values and enhance trust in the electoral system.

Local body elections across Maharashtra, including the high-stakes BMC polls, are expected to be announced later this month.