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At IndiaVerve, we go beyond the noise to bring you meaningful stories of change, resilience and progress—from India to the world stage. Our mission is to bring readers credible, wide-ranging coverage across politics, business, sports, culture, society and more.
At IndiaVerve, we go beyond the noise to bring you meaningful stories of change, resilience and progress—from India to the world stage. Our mission is to bring readers credible, wide-ranging coverage across politics, business, sports, culture, society and more.
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Day: January 6, 2026

Piyush Goyal calls for nationwide movement to eliminate malnutrition, urges stronger CSR role

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New Delhi: India must turn the fight against malnutrition into a collective national movement driven by government, industry and civil society, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday, calling Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) a key pillar in ensuring nutrition access, affordability and last-mile delivery.

Speaking at a CSR Conclave on Nutrition organised by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in New Delhi, Goyal said eliminating malnutrition is central to India’s long-term social and economic future and must not be viewed as the responsibility of the government alone. CSR spending, he said, should be treated as meaningful social investment rather than a statutory obligation.

He stressed the importance of a coordinated “whole-of-government” approach involving multiple ministries, noting that NDDB is helping connect corporate partners with grassroots communities. Expanding access to nutritious food such as milk and fish, he said, is critical to tackling childhood and maternal malnutrition and preventing long-term health deficits, PIB India reported.

Goyal urged companies to go beyond minimum CSR compliance, describing nutrition funding as an investment in India’s future workforce and consumer base. He also called for wider public participation and said social contribution should be seen as a shared responsibility.

Goyal also wrote in a post on X that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, eliminating malnutrition and strengthening nutrition security have been made a national priority, reinforcing India’s commitment to inclusive development and rural livelihoods as the country moves towards a developed nation.

Minister of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal Gurjar said CSR has become a powerful tool for social transformation, highlighting NDDB’s nutrition initiatives in aspirational and tribal districts as examples of effective cooperative-driven delivery models.

Both Ministers said India’s campaign against malnutrition must expand rapidly to match the pace of poverty reduction, with the goal of ensuring that no child remains undernourished.

Nearly 2.9 crore names removed from UP’s draft voter list after SIR

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Lucknow: Around 2.89 crore voter names have been struck off from Uttar Pradesh’s draft electoral rolls after a state-wide verification exercise under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), sharply reducing the number of registered voters in India’s largest state, the Election Commission of India said today.

The deletions follow months of physical verification during which Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visited households across the state to authenticate voter records and collect enumeration forms. Officials said the draft list reflects only those voters whose details could be confirmed through returned and verified forms.

Data released by the Chief Electoral Officer shows that of the nearly 15.44 crore electors recorded when the SIR began in late October 2025, enumeration forms were returned for about 12.55 crore voters — roughly 81 per cent of the electorate. The remaining 18.7 per cent whose forms were not received have been removed from the draft rolls, taking the total deletions to 2.89 crore.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said 2.17 crore voters were deleted on account of migration, 46.23 lakh were recorded as deceased, while another 25.47 lakh were found to be registered in more than one location. The final rolls are expected to be notified on March 6 after disposal of claims and objections.

Lucknow recorded the steepest fall in voter count. The capital’s electorate dropped from 39.9 lakh to 27.9 lakh — a decline of nearly 30 per cent — making it the district with the highest number of deletions. In Lalitpur, the number of registered voters fell by around 10 per cent, from 9.5 lakh to 8.6 lakh.

The verification drive — one of the most extensive revision exercises undertaken in recent years — also saw repeated extensions. The enumeration window, initially scheduled to end on December 11, was pushed twice amid reports of large-scale deletions, uneven workload for BLOs and the creation of new polling stations requiring technical adjustments.

The scale of removals has already sparked sharp political reactions. Opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party, have alleged that the SIR process may have disproportionately impacted some voter groups, though election authorities maintain that the revision aims to ensure cleaner and more accurate electoral rolls ahead of future polls.

Officials have clarified that voters who find their names missing will still have an opportunity to file claims before the final publication of the rolls in March.

BMC launches sanitation drive to boost swachh ranking

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Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday launched a new campaign aimed at further strengthening the city’s sanitation system. With an eye on improving Bhubaneswar’s performance in Swachh Survekshan 2025–26, the civic body has appealed to citizens to actively participate in cleanliness initiatives to help position the city among the top-ranked urban centres in the country.

According to the Swachh Survekshan toolkit, the collection of user fees plays a crucial role in effective solid waste management.

The collection of user fees enables cities to achieve key performance indicators under the survey, including 100% door-to-door waste collection, which carries a maximum weightage of 500 points, and segregation of waste at source along with its transportation, accounting for 400 points. In addition, the utilisation of user fee collections towards meeting operational and management costs contributes 100 points, helping make the city’s sanitation system sustainable and resilient.

It was further informed that separate user fees have been fixed for different categories, including residential households, shops, hotels, and institutions. City residents can obtain additional information through the ‘Safa App’ or by contacting the BMC via its dedicated WhatsApp number, 7653011832.

The funds collected through this mechanism are expected to make the city’s sanitation system more sustainable and efficient, the BMC said in a release. Urging citizens to support the initiative, the BMC appealed to residents to hand over household waste only to BMC collection vehicles, strictly follow the segregation of wet, dry, and hazardous waste, and avoid littering in public spaces.

The civic body also cautioned against burning waste, citing its impact on air pollution, and encouraged citizens

India issues travel advisory for Iran

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New Delhi: India on Monday advised its citizens to refrain from non-essential travel to Iran as protests over inflation and rising living costs continue across the country.

In an advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs urged Indian nationals and people of Indian origin currently in Iran to remain vigilant and avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place.

The advisory said: “In view of recent developments, Indian nationals are advised to avoid non-essential travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran until further notice. Indian citizens and PIOs currently in Iran should exercise due caution, avoid areas of protests or demonstrations, and closely monitor news as well as the website and social media handles of the Embassy of India in Tehran. Indian nationals living in Iran on resident-visas are advised to register with the Indian Embassy, if not already done so.”

Around 10,000 Indian nationals are presently in Iran, the majority of whom are students. Iran also receives a significant number of Indian Shia Muslim pilgrims each year, according to reports.

The advisory comes amid heightened international attention, following a warning from US President Donald Trump of possible intervention if Iranian authorities crack down on protesters. According to reports, about 15 people, including security personnel, have died since the unrest began roughly a week ago, marking the country’s largest wave of protests in the past three years.

NBCC receives fresh work orders worth Rs134.05cr in Odisha

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Mumbai: State-owned Navratna PSU National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd (NBCC India) Ltd on Monday announced that it has received work orders worth approximately ₹134.05 crore, as per a regulatory filing.

The orders, awarded in the ordinary course of business, include a ₹45.87 crore contract from Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University. The project involves construction, repair, and renovation works at the university’s campus in Baripada, Mayurbhanj district, under the PM-USHA scheme.

NBCC has also secured an ₹88.18 crore order from the Odisha School Programme Authority, Bhubaneswar, for the execution of civil works under the Godabarisha Mishra Adarsha Prathamika Vidyalaya Scheme.

According to the company, both contracts have been awarded by domestic entities and involve project management consultancy services. The projects will be executed in line with the terms and conditions specified by the respective clients.

Earlier, on December 31, NBCC (India) Ltd reported securing three domestic work orders worth around ₹220.31 crore. The largest of these, valued at ₹163.12 crore, was awarded by Canara Bank for planning, designing and executing the construction of its head office at Manyata Tech Park in Bengaluru. The remaining orders were received from Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, including a ₹9.01 crore contract for a boys’ dormitory in Maharashtra and a ₹48.18 crore order for developing a permanent campus in Telangana.