Delhi today reeled under an intense cold spell as temperatures dipped sharply across the national capital. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 2.9 degrees Celsius this morning. In Palam, the minimum temperature stood at 3.3 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road recorded a low temperature of 3 degrees Celsius. As per the weather department, dense fog is expected to prevail for the Delhi and NCR regions till the 17th of January. The lowest minimum temperature of the country was recorded at 1.1 degrees Celsius in Amritsar, followed by Churu, Rajasthan, at 1.3 degrees Celsius.

India has reiterated its commitment to achieving 500 Giga Watt of non-fossil fuel installed power capacity by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2070. Delivering India’s national statement at the 16th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said India’s approach to energy transition is guided by the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future. He added that this approach is anchored in a long-term vision of equity, inclusivity, and policy stability. Highlighting a major milestone of energy transition, Mr Joshi said that India has already achieved 50 per cent of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources in 2025, five years ahead of its Nationally Determined Contribution target under the Paris Agreement. He added that India’s renewable energy capacity has crossed 266 Giga Watt, placing the country among the global leaders in renewable energy deployment. The Minister emphasised that India’s energy transition is not only about capacity addition but also about people, opportunity and a shared sustainable future.

On the third day of his Gujarat visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the historic Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad and paid tribute to the father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhiji. Both leaders also participated in the International Kite Festival at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. The three-day festival features one hundred and thirty-five kite flyers from fifty nations, along with more than 900 participants from across India and Gujarat. The special attractions of the three-day festival include night kite flying on January 13th, heritage havelis, and a dedicated kite museum, among others. This year, kites based on the ‘Operation Sindoor’ theme, in particular, have sparked great curiosity.

In Women’s Premier League Cricket, after losing the opening match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the two-time champions Mumbai Indians bounced back and secured a commanding 50-run win against the Delhi Capitals in Navi Mumbai last night. Defending a competitive target of 196 runs, the Mumbai Indians bowlers produced an all-round performance that helped them bundle out the Delhi Capitals for 145 runs, registering a commanding win. Chinelle Henry with 56 was the highest scorer for Delhi Capitals. For Mumbai Indians, Nicola Carey and Amelia Kerr took three wickets each, Nat Sciver-Brunt claimed two wickets, Shabnim Ismail and Sanskriti Gupta picked a wicket each. Earlier, Delhi Capitals Women won the toss and opted to bowl. Put into bat first, the Mumbai Indians posted 195 runs for the loss of four wickets in the stipulated 20 overs, with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scoring unbeaten 75 runs and Nat Sciver-Brunt contributing 70 runs. Harmanpreet Kaur was declared Player of the Match. For Delhi Capitals, Nandani Sharma picked up two wickets while Chinelle Henry and Shree Charani took a wicket each. Today, Delhi Capitals will take on Gujarat Giants at DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai. The match will start at 7:30 PM.

With the inauguration of the second Bailey Bridge, India continues its reconstruction efforts in cyclone-hit regions of Sri Lanka. Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha said the opening also marks the formal launch of India’s 450 million US dollar assistance package for rebuilding Sri Lanka. Under operation Sagar Bandhu, India provided 228 tonnes of Bailey bridge material as part of its post-disaster assistance to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu, enabling the rapid restoration of connectivity. The bridge is expected to significantly improve mobility, restore essential services, and support recovery in the affected up-country region.

A total of 27 Indian citizens who were lured to Myanmar with false job promises but were instead forced to work illegally in cyber scam operations have been safely rescued and brought back to India. The rescued nationals arrived in Delhi on Saturday and are now proceeding onwards to their respective native places to reunite with their families. These stranded Indian citizens were lured by false job promises and subsequently trafficked to the Myanmar border, where they were subjected to coercion, physical abuse and forced cyber scam operations.

Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia has announced two new India Post services, Speed Post 24 and Speed Post 48, which will ensure delivery within 24 and 48 hours. This announcement, made through a programme at Pichor in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, is being considered an important step towards the modernisation of postal services. Speaking on the occasion, Scindia said that Speed Post 24 and Speed Post 48 will set a new standard of punctual, reliable and fast delivery. In fact, the Central Minister inaugurated the renovated Pichhor sub-office at a cost of 2 lakh rupees and laid the foundation stone and conducted ground-breaking ceremonies for the proposed new sub-office building at a cost of 1 crore 11 lakh rupees. On December 29, 2025, Mr Scindia said that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), through the National Centre for Communication Security (NCCS), has rolled out a set of transformative reforms to bolster indigenous manufacturing and testing capabilities.

Prime Minister’s flagship platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, PRAGATI, has marked a significant milestone with the successful conduct of its 50th meeting. Since its launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, PRAGATI has transformed governance by enabling real-time monitoring and resolution of key infrastructure projects and public grievances through direct Prime Ministerial review. The platform exemplifies cooperative federalism, bringing together the Centre, States, and Union Ministries on a single digital interface. Over a decade, PRAGATI has helped accelerate decision-making, resolution of issues causing delay in key infrastructure projects, and instilled a strong culture of accountability. Today, in this special series, we take a look at the Jabalpur-Gondia Gauge Conversion project of Ministry of Railways. The Jabalpur-Gondia Gauge Conversion project covers around 285 km. It was approved at a cost of around 1,991 crore rupees to strengthen rail capacity and operational flexibility in the central part of the country. The project involved conversion of the existing narrow-gauge alignment, including the Balaghat-Katangi section, into broad gauge, thereby creating an alternate route to several saturated rail corridors. Traversing Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, the corridor serves districts with significant agricultural output, forest-based activity and mineral movement.  The project encountered persistent environmental and coordination-related challenges. In March 2016, the project was taken up under the PRAGATI mechanism. The review reinforced the importance of time-bound forest clearances, expeditious land transfer by the Government of Madhya Pradesh, and close coordination between the Ministries of Railways, Road Transport and Highways, and Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The elevation of the project under PRAGATI also strengthened inter-departmental accountability, aligning forest, revenue and line departments around shared timelines linked directly to execution requirements. With environmental and land-related impediments resolved, works progressed across remaining sections, culminating in full commissioning of the Jabalpur-Gondia broad-gauge corridor in March 2021. It achieved 100 percent physical progress and delivering the intended operational benefits of an alternate rail route. The Jabalpur-Gondia Gauge Conversion illustrates how environmentally sensitive rail infrastructure can be delivered through coordinated governance and sustained administrative engagement. The resolution of forest and land-related challenges-undertaken with due regard to statutory safeguards, compensatory afforestation and environmental compliance, was enabled by structured oversight under the PRAGATI framework and consistent follow-through at the State and district levels.

An earthquake of 5.3 magnitude on the Richter scale was felt in Jammu and Kashmir today. The epicentre was in Tajikistan. Director of the Jammu and Kashmir Meteorological Department Mukhtar Ahmad said an earthquake occurred 110 kilometres inside the earth’s crust at 2.44 AM. According to the Meteorological Department, the tremors were felt in Jammu and Kashmir, although no casualties or damage to property have been reported from anywhere so far.

In Women’s Premier League Cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Defending Champions Mumbai Indians by three wickets in Navi Mumbai last night. Put in to bat first, Mumbai Indians posted 154 runs for the loss of six wickets in stipulated 20 overs, with Sajeevan Sajana scoring 45 and Nicola Carey contributing 40 runs. For Bengaluru, Nadine de Klerk picked up an impressive four-wicket haul. In reply, Royal Challengers Bengaluru overhauled the score, posting 157 for the loss of seven wickets in the alloted overs. Nadine de Klerk once again did well, this time with the bat, scoring a match-winning unbeaten 63 off 44 balls. The fourth season of Women’s Premier League is being played across two venues-the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai and the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. After the Navi Mumbai leg, the tournament will move to Vadodara, where the remaining 11 matches, including the playoffs, will be held.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a three-day visit to Gujarat beginning today. During his visit, the Prime Minister will attend several events including the Somnath Swabhiman Parv. Mr Modi will also take part in major development programmes and diplomatic engagements across Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. The four-day Somnath Swabhiman Parv, celebrating the enduring spirit of the Somnath Temple, began on Thursday at the coastal town of Veraval in Gir Somnath district. The event marks one thousand years since the first attack on the Somnath Temple in 1026 AD by Mahmud of Ghazni. This year’s celebrations also coincide with the upcoming 75th anniversary of the inauguration of the restored temple in 1951.  The Prime Minister will reach Somnath this evening and participate in Omkar Mantra chanting at the Somnath Temple. He will also view drone show at the temple. Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will take part in Shaurya Yatra, a ceremonial procession organised to honour the countless warriors who laid down their lives defending the Somnath Temple over centuries. He will offer prayers at the Somnath Temple and also participate in a public function marking the Somnath Swabhiman Parv. On commencement of the parv, Prime Minister Modi in a social media post had said that despite repeated assaults in subsequent centuries, the eternal faith of devotees and the civilizational resolve of India ensured that Somnath Temple was rebuilt time and again. He said, the Somnath Swabhiman Parv is also about remembering the countless children of the country, who never compromised with their principles and ethos. The temple stands today as a powerful symbol of resilience, faith and national pride, owing to the collective resolve and efforts to restore it to its ancient glory. After independence, the effort for restoration of the Temple was undertaken by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. One of the most important milestones in this journey of revival was achieved in 1951, when the restored Somnath Temple was formally opened to devotees in the presence of the then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad.  Tomorrow, later in the day, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Rajkot and formally inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for the Kutch and Saurashtra Region at Marwadi University. He will also address the gathering on the occasion. Mr Modi will also inaugurate the trade show and exhibition at the conference.  From Rajkot, the Prime Minister will travel to Ahmedabad where he will inaugurate the remaining stretch of Phase 2 of Ahmedabad metro from Sector 10A to Mahatma Mandir, marking a significant milestone in the city’s urban transport infrastructure.  On Monday, the Prime Minister will hold bilateral talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad. Both leaders will also visit the Sabarmati Ashram and attend the International Kite Festival.

The 8th meeting of the National Traders’ Welfare Board was held in New Delhi yesterday, chaired by Board Chairman Sunil J. Singhi. The Commerce and Industry Ministry said, the Board emphasized the importance of the Vocal for Local initiative to boost indigenous industries and promote locally made product. Addressing the meeting, Joint Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Sanjiv, highlighted the significant role of the retail trade sector in the Indian economy.