Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had a conversation with Nepal’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chairman Rabi Lamichhane and Balendra Shah, who is poised to lead the next government in the Himalayan nation.. PM Modi on Monday spoke with Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chairman Rabi Lamichhane and Balendra Shah. (PTI). In a social media post, PM Modi said he congratulated both leaders on their electoral victories and RSP’s resounding success in the Nepal elections.. “Had warm telephone conversations with Mr. Rabi Lamichhane, Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Mr. Balendra Shah, Senior Leader of the RSP,” Modi said in post on X.. He added that he conveyed India’s commitment to work with Nepal’s new government for the prosperity and well-being of both the nations.. “Congratulated both leaders on their electoral victories and RSP’s resounding success in the Nepal elections. Conveyed my best wishes for their forthcoming new Government and India’s commitment to work with them for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of our two countries,” he wrote.. “I am confident that with our joint endeavours, India and Nepal relations will scale new heights in the years ahead,” he added.. Also read: What Balen Shah’s win in Nepal means for New Delhi. Modi’s conversation with the RSP leaders come days after Nepal held its general elections last week on Thursday, March 5 , after the country’s government was ousted as a result of widespread protests led by the youth of the country.. 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s RSP emerged as the biggest winner with a landslide victory, pointing to Nepal’s shift from the traditional “old guard” parties.. The results of Nepal’s elections were reflective of its population’s frustration with issues such as political instability, corruption and youth unemployment.. In regards to India, the RSP has maintained that it intends to have strong relations with both its neighbours but aims to remain independent of any direct influence.. Balendra Shah also has a personal connection with India as he hails from Madhesi community and did his Masters in structural engineering from Karnataka. 

 Trinamool Congress MP and former cricketer Kirti Azad has raised questions over India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, coach Gautam Gambhir, and ICC chairman Jay Shah taking the World Cup trophy won on Sunday to a Hindu temple in Ahmedabad.. Team India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, ICC chairman Jay Shah, and coach Gautam Gambhir at the Hanuman Temple in Ahmedabad on Sunday night, just after the victory in the final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium. (ANI Video Grab). “Why NOT a Mosque? Why NOT a Church? Why NOT a Gurudwara?… The Trophy Belongs to 1.4 BILLION Indians of EVERY Faith — NOT ONE RELIGION’S VICTORY LAP!” read the X post by Azad, who was a member of the team that won the 1983 ODI World Cup.. He said called it shameful that one religion got precedence. “When we won the World Cup under Kapil Dev in 1983, we had Hindu Muslim Sikh and Christian in the team. We brought the trophy to our religious birth place our motherland India Bharat Hindustan,” he wrote.. “This Team Represents INDIA — not Surya Kumar Yadav’s or Jay Shah’s Family,” he further said, and then mentioned non-Hindu players too make his point: “(Mohammad) Siraj never paraded it at a Mosque. Sanju (Samson) never took it to a Church… latter had a major part to play and was man of the tournament.”. It was on Sunday night that Suryakumar Yadav, head coach and former BJP MP Gambhir and International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah, son of Union home minister and BJP leader Amit Shah, visited the Hanuman Temple in Ahmedabad and took blessings with the T20 World Cup trophy in hand.. Azad’s party TMC, ruling Bengal for over a decade, has been at loggerheads with the BJP as state elections are barely a couple of months away. It has accused the BJP of communalising the state’s politics with a Hindutva-centred strategy, while the BJP accuses CM Mamata Banerjee of “appeasing” Muslims instead.. Team India made history by securing a record-breaking third T20 World Cup title and becoming the first-ever team to defend the title and win it as a home nation, following a 96-run win over New Zealand at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. 

 The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday released the first National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI), establishing a baseline for measuring vegetation along the country’s highway network using satellite-based assessment.. The first assessment cycle has covered around 30,000 kilometres of national highways across 24 states. (Image sourced from Doordarshan). Subsequent annual cycles will track year-on-year changes along the same highway stretches, enabling monitoring of improvements in roadside vegetation over time, NHAI said in a statement.. The index was prepared in coordination with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after a memorandum of understanding was signed by both agencies in January 2024 to develop a scientific and quantitative framework for assessing plantations along national highways.. The index uses high-resolution satellite sensors to detect chlorophyll content along highway corridors, enabling an estimate of vegetation within the right of way on both sides of the road.. The first assessment cycle has covered around 30,000 kilometres of national highways across 24 states for the period between July and December 2024.. Also Read: NHAI to build bridge, 2 km road to ease traffic at Masani Barrage. According to NHAI, the index is a technology-based approach for macro-level estimation of green cover along highways and could help identify stretches with relatively lower vegetation levels where plantation management may require attention. The framework also enables comparison and ranking of highway sections based on green cover. It said the use of satellite data offers a cost-effective and time-efficient method for monitoring vegetation along the expanding national highway network.. The release of the NH-GCI report follows NHAI’s publication of its sustainability report in July 2025, which outlined the agency’s sustainability initiatives and environmental performance across highway development and operations site. 

 When YouTuber Anurag Dobhal, popularly known as UK07 Rider, was critically injured in a car crash on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway in Ghaziabad, a friend and follower of the social media influencer rescued him from the mangled SUV.. Anurag Dobhal was later referred to another hospital in Delhi and was in a stable condition, officials informed.. The accident took place on Saturday near Hawa Hawai restaurant in the Masuri police station area. The event was captured on a social media live where Dobhal told ‘goodbye’ to thousands of followers before crashing his car into a barrier. He is currently admitted to the ICU and recovering from the injuries.. Police have said that a friend and follower of the influencer reached the spot before the police and rushed him to a nearby hospital in Meerut.. According to the UP Police, Anurag was heading towards Delhi from Meerut when his SUV crashed near the Hawa Hawai Aeroplane Restaurant and went to the opposite lane in Meerut.. “The crash was so severe that his car was mangled and the wheels came off. We received information about the incident on the emergency helpline number 112 from his friends.” Ajay Kumar, station house officer, Masoori police station said.. Surendra Nath Tiwari, deputy commissioner of police, Ghaziabad (Rural) told HT that they received information about the incident on the emergency helpline number from his friends. By the time police reached the spot, his friends had already rushed him to the nearest hospital.. Friend, follower rushed to the spot. Police also said one of his friends and social media follower, Ashish Chaudhary from Mehrauli, was the first to reach the spot.. Ashish told HT that he came after watching the live video on social media. “I am familiar with the DME. My friends and I rushed to the spot and rescued him from the mangled SUV. Locals also helped us at the spot,” he said.. Also read: Anurag Dobhal ‘fighting for his life’ in hospital after car crash, manager sends a message for ‘haters’. The influencer was later referred to another hospital in Delhi and was in a stable condition, officials informed. They also said that the exact reason behind the incident would be ascertained after recording the victim’s and his family members’ statements.. A resident of Dehradun, Anurag, told his viewers he felt completely alone and had no one left to call during his Instagram live. He was seen driving his SUV on the Delhi–Meerut Expressway, with the speedometer showing 140-150 kmph.. Also read: Anurag Dobhal in ICU after crashing car at 140 kmph during ‘final drive’ with 80,000 watching livestream. Multiple clips of the live also went viral, showing the influencer being emotional and turning the steering sharply.. Police said that based in primary investigation, it is suspected to be a case of suicide, adding that further investigation is still underway to determine the exact cause.. Meanwhile, in a recent picture shared from Anurag’s Instagram stories, the 

 To fast-track environmental clearances (EC) further, the Union government has decided to set up a Standing Authority on Environment Impact Assessment (SAEIA), which will appraise projects when state-level impact assessment authorities are non-functional. The SAEIA will also discharge other tasks entrusted to it, according to a March 5 draft notification.. The SAEIA will consist of ex-officio members appointed by the central government. (HT PHOTO/Representative). The draft notification notes that the tenure of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) is three years, extendable by one year. In the absence of SEIAA/SEAC, appraisal of projects within their domain is carried out at the central level. The process of reconstitution is initiated six months before expiry, and delays occur due to late or incomplete submission of proposals from states.. “The matter has been examined… It has been observed that delayed reconstitution of SEIAA leads to a complete halt in the EC process at the state levels, and the pending proposals are transferred in bulk to the Centre, leading to extended timelines and unwarranted delays in the appraisal of the projects, thereby impacting project timelines and investor confidence,” the draft states.. The SAEIA will consist of ex-officio members appointed by the central government. “The central government deems it necessary that the continuity of SEIAA and SEAC be ensured by authorising a separate standing body as an interim arrangement for the purpose of appraisal of projects/activities and grant of regulatory clearances under EIA [Environment Impact Assessment] Notification 2006, in the absence of a functional authority and till the constitution of new SEIAA/SEAC,” the draft states.. “The Central Government also deems it necessary that the…standing body may also be authorised to consider the project that are delayed at the SEIAA/SEAC level and to discharge such other tasks as may be entrusted to it by the Central Government related to the implementation of the EIA Notification, 2006, as amended from time to time, within the respective State/UT [Union Territory].”. The draft notification provides for the standing committee stepping in if appraisals are delayed by state-level bodies. “In the event the application for grant of EC is not appraised by the concerned State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) within a period of 120 days from the date of the submission of the complete application by the project proponent, the application shall be automatically forwarded to the Standing Committee on Environment Impact Appraisal (SCEIA), through PARIVESH portal, for consideration, which shall appraise such projects and provide their recommendations as per the scenarios and within the time frame mentioned.”. Also, if the decision of the SEIAA is not communicated to the project applicant within the period specified, the proposal shall be automati