To eliminate Sickle Cell Disease in the country, the government has set a target to screen 7 crore people in the age group of 0-40 years by the next year. This was stated by the Minister of State Health & Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today. He said the targeted screening of the 7 crore people would be carried out till 2025-26 in the affected 278 districts of tribal areas and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.

Home Minister, Amit Shah has remembered the valour of the brave soldiers of the army on Kargil Vijay Diwas today. In a social media post, Mr. Shah expressed gratitude to the soldiers for showcasing ultimate valour in the inaccessible hills of the Himalayas and for forcing the enemy army to retreat. He noted that the soldiers made the country proud by hoisting the tricolor once again in Kargil. Mr. Shah saluted them for their courage in this war and said that the grateful nation will never forget their sacrifice.

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi visited forward areas along the Line of Control in Kashmir valley yesterday to review the preparedness of the forces involved in counter-infiltration and counter-terror operations. After arriving in Srinagar, General Dwivedi along with Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, GOC-in-C Northern Command, Chinar Corps Commander, civil dignitaries and all ranks of Chinar Corps paid homage to Naik Dilawar Khan, who laid down his life during an anti-terror operation in Kupwara. The Army Chief later left for Kargil to take part in the silver jubilee celebrations of Kargil Vijay Diwas being celebrated today.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju today hit out at opposition leaders, accusing them of insulting the mandate of the country. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Mr. Rijiju said the country wants to see that the discussion on the budget takes place in a good and meaningful manner. He added that the way the leaders of some parties commented and the way they gave speeches have insulted the House by lowering the dignity. He called upon opposition parties to respect the mandate of the people. Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Rijiju said that elections are over and now the focus should be to work towards a Viksit Bharat and hold a constructive discussion on the Union Budget. He alleged that opposition leaders did not say anything on the budget; they just indulged in politics and abused the Prime Minister.    The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said the floor leaders of political parties should direct the Members not to create ruckus and have a civilised and sensitive debate in the Parliament. He said the budget aims to make India the third largest economy, and there is allocation for infrastructure, provision for all sectors, for women, for employment, and for farmers. Mr. Rijiju said if the opposition does not understand, the public will punish them. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come to power for the third time because of the public, and the opposition is trying to change the narrative. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said the budget should be discussed in the budget session. He questioned the opposition running away from discussing the provisions in the budget made for farmers and tribal people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Kargil War Memorial tomorrow on the occasion of the 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas. He will pay homage to the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. Mr. Modi will also virtually carry out the first blast of the Shinkun La Tunnel Project. This 4.1-kilometre-long twin-tube tunnel will be constructed at an altitude of around fifteen thousand 800 feet on the Nimu-Padum-Darcha Road to provide all-weather connectivity to Leh. Once completed, it will be the highest tunnel in the world. Shinkun La tunnel will not only ensure swift and efficient movement of our armed forces and equipment but also foster economic and social development in Ladakh.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed the flood situation in the state yesterday. Talking to the media, Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said the government is closely monitoring the situation. He said that so far, over 4,200 people have been shifted to safer places across 7 districts, while 535 people have been rescued. The death toll due to rain-related incidents has risen to 61 after eight deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.   A total of 13 teams of NDRF, in addition to 20 teams of SDRF, are deployed in flood-affected regions in the state. Following the heavy rain in catchment areas, nearly 46 dams in the state are overflowing, while 51 dams are on high alert. Power supply was restored in over 5000 villages in the state. An orange alert of heavy rainfall has been issued for Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Daman, and Dadra Nagar Haveli.

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi has said that the Gender Budget allocation towards welfare and empowerment of women in 2024–25 is 3.3 lakh crore rupees. Interacting with media in New Delhi, the Minister said that the allocation is 37.3 per cent higher than the financial year 2023-24. She said that this reflects the government’s resolve towards women’s empowerment. She added that in line with the resolve taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build a developed India, the government is moving from women’s development to women-led development.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has arrived in India on his first official visit after assuming office. The External Affairs Ministry’s  Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed Mr. Lammy on his arrival in New Delhi.   He will primarily hold talks on strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the India-UK Free Trade Agreement. This visit marks the first high-profile delegation from London since the formation of the Labour Party government under British PM Keir Starmer. Secretary Lammy will meet with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar this evening.

BJP today hit out at opposition parties over questioning on NEET UG examination and Budget 2024-25. Addressing a Press Conference in New Delhi today, Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, the Supreme Court has clarified in its verdict that NEET examination’s sanctity was not compromised, but opposition parties continued to misguide the country.   He said, the government took immediate action after it came to know of rigging in the NEET examination and ordered for a CBI inquiry in the matter. Mr. Prasad alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi created a negative image of India in the world. He said, BJP has condemned the opposition parties’ behaviour on the NEET examination.

United States Senator Bob Menendez has announced that he will resign next month following his conviction on corruption charges , including bribery and acting as an agent for Egypt’s government . The decision on Tuesday came as Menendez’s fellow Democrats piled pressure on him to step down or face becoming the first politician to be expelled from the Senate since 1862. “I will be resigning from my office as the United States Senator from New Jersey, effective on the close of business on Aug. 20, 2024,” Menendez’s letter said. “While I fully intend to appeal the jury’s verdict, all the way and including to the Supreme Court, I do not want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important work,” the letter added. Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will appoint a replacement for Menendez, who has represented New Jersey in the Senate since 2006 and served as chairman of the influential Foreign Relations Committee before giving up that post after being charged last year . Menendez’s current six-year term ends on January 3. Murphy said in a statement he had received the letter but did not provide details on when he would finalise a decision for naming Menendez’s temporary replacement. Bribery schemes Menendez, 70, was found guilty on July 16 by a jury in a Manhattan federal court on all 16 criminal counts he faced – also including obstruction of justice, wire fraud and extortion – after a nine-week trial. Two co-defendants also were convicted. The case centred on what prosecutors called bribery schemes in which the senator and his wife Nadine Menendez accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars and car and mortgage payments from three businessmen. In exchange, Menendez steered billions of dollars in US aid to Egypt and tried to influence the criminal prosecutions of two of the businessmen, prosecutors said. US District Judge Sidney Stein has set the politician’s sentencing for October 29, a week before the November 5 election. The Senate received a copy of Menendez’s resignation letter, according to Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, who was presiding in the chamber on Tuesday. Menendez’s resignation will temporarily reduce the Democratic majority in the Senate to 50-49 until Murphy’s appointee is sworn in to finish what remains of Menendez’s term. Democratic US Representative Andy Kim is running for the seat in November and is favoured to win in Democratic-leaning New Jersey. Numerous Democrats had called for Menendez to resign, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Cory Booker, New Jersey’s other senator. Murphy, the New Jersey governor, had urged the Senate to expel Menendez if he did not quit. The trial was Menendez’s second after a 2017 trial ended when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. Menendez was then censured by the Senate ethics committee for accepting gifts from a wealthy longtime friend in exchange for official favours. Menendez was first appointed to his Senate seat in 2006 after serving 13 years in the US House of Representatives. He then won election three times to the Senate. He earlier served in the New Jersey legislature and as a mayor. For decades, he has been a forceful voice on US foreign relations, most recently advocating for additional aid to Ukraine and Israel as Democratic President Joe Biden pushed Congress to allocate more money to foreign allies embroiled in conflicts. US Representative Rob Menendez, the senator’s son, continues to represent a New Jersey congressional district across the Hudson River from New York City, similar to the district his father previously represented.

In Telangana, a unique model for TB-Free Municipalities under the Project Swasthya Nagaram, has been launched yesterday in Hyderabad.  Under the collaborative initiative of State Tuberculosis Cell, Municipal Corporations of Peerzadiguda, Boduppal and Pocharam in Medchal Malkajgiri district, Central TB Division, WHO India USAID and others, the project aimed at achieving TB-free municipalities.    The stakeholders informed that the innovative approach will demonstrate ending TB in an urban setting where social determinants have huge impact on increasing the TB burden with an approach of surveillance, prevention, complete cascade of quality TB care with engagement of multi stakeholders.   The model will be implemented in urban settings of Peerzadiguda, Boduppal and Pocharam Municipal Corporation over a period of 3 years aiming at bringing down one third of TB incidence, and bringing down TB related mortality. Commissioner Health and Family Welfare and Managing Director National Health Mission RV Karnan formally launched the ‘Swasthya Nagaram’ project. The Union, Programme Director Dr. Jyoti Jaju said the innovative programme is a significant step towards combating TB and promoting community well-being as it will provide free medical care to the patients along with counselling for the family members.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Gujarat, Konkan and Goa, and Maharashtra during the next two days. Met department has forecast that rainfall activity is likely to increase over Indo-Gangetic plains during next two days.   In Northwest India, scattered to fairly widespread, light to moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm and lightning is very likely over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi.   Meanwhile, the National Capital Region and its adjoining areas witnessed heavy rainfall this morning which still continues in some parts.