Hyderabad, September 25, 2026: Two of Hyderabad’s best-known Ganesh processions drew devotees towards Hussain Sagar on Friday. The Balapur Ganesh Shobha Yatra began after a special puja at 5 am, while the six-hour procession carrying the 72-foot Khairatabad Ganesh idol reached Crane No. 4 at Tank Bund. According to the 1:49 pm update, the Khairatabad idol had been separated from its transport vehicle, and Kalasa Puja was to take place befor

The Andhra Pradesh government’s reported plan to pay social media influencers for promoting its schemes has drawn attention for both the earning opportunity it could offer creators and the questions it raises about public spending. Reports say the state Cabinet has approved a social media influencer policy, but the detailed operating guidelines and selection process have yet to be made clear publicly. Under the payment

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release 50 per cent of the state’s ₹3,705.30-crore drought relief request as immediate assistance. The amount sought as interim aid is ₹1,852.65 crore. Shivakumar said the drought has worsened since the state first submitted its request for central support earlier this month. In his letter to the Prime Minister, Shivakumar referred to a September 10 communication seeking ₹3,705.30 crore for urgent relief measures in 101 drought-declared taluks. Since then, the Karnataka government has declared another 76 taluks drought-affected, taking the total to 177. The additional declarations followed an assessment under the parameters of the Manual for Drought Management, 2020. Drought-affected taluks rise to 177 Shivakumar said the number of drought-hit taluks could exceed 200 by the end of the 2026 southwest monsoon season. Losses in the newly declared areas are still being assessed. Once that work is complete, the state plans to submit an additional memorandum seeking assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund. The request for half of the existing memorandum amount is therefore an interim measure based on the earlier assessment of 101 taluks. It does not include a final estimate of damage across all 177 drought-declared taluks. The Centre has been asked to provide funds while the state completes its wider assessment and prepares the next submission. Why the monsoon shortfall matters The Chief Minister said rainfall from June to August is especially important for Karnataka. It supports Kharif crops and helps refill reservoirs, recharge groundwater and maintain supplies of fodder. Reservoir levels also affect hydropower generation, meaning a prolonged rainfall shortfall can place pressure on services well beyond agriculture. For farmers in drought-declared taluks, the immediate concern is the damage already caused during the principal growing season. The state’s appeal seeks to speed up relief while officials document losses in the areas added to the drought list. Any further request to the Centre will depend on that assessment; no amount for the additional memorandum has yet been announced.

The India Meteorological Department has issued rain and thunderstorm warnings across Telangana, with the strongest alert covering five districts on Thursday, September 24. Very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Komuram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu and Bhadradri Kothagudem, according to the IMD’s district forecast. The warning is stronger than the orange alert described in the initial report. The I

Andhra Pradesh has put emergency services on high alert as heavy rain, strong winds and the risk of flash floods affect parts of the state. The weather is linked to a deep depression, and the India Meteorological Department has warned of extremely heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds in coastal Andhra Pradesh on Thursday, September 24. In Chinthalapadu village of Tiruvuru mandal in NTR district, powerful winds damaged houses and blew metal roofing sheets

Andhra Pradesh plans to introduce Heartfulness Yoga training in 963 government schools in the first phase of a student wellbeing initiative. The programme is expected to cover 4.47 lakh students, Education Minister N. Lokesh said during a review meeting with school education, higher education and skill development officials in Vijayawada on Wednesday. Lokesh directed officials to launch awareness programmes on student mental health and stress across the state.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has designated a Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) in Amaravati for Andhra Pradesh. Two Gazette notifications dated September 22, 2026, remove the state from the earlier jurisdiction entry and assign it to the “Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, Amaravati.” The change gives Andhra Pradesh a dedicated regional authority for foreigner registration and related immigration matters.

The death of IIT Bombay student Sahil Ravindra Wakode on September 18 has led to a police investigation, an internal inquiry and student protests. His family has alleged caste-based harassment, while questions remain about an incident during a mid-semester examination shortly before he returned to his hostel. Investigators have not established what caused him to take his life. Sahil was a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Enginee

Chennai, September 23, 2026: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay paid tribute to organ donors on Wednesday, calling organ donation an act of humanity that can give critically ill patients another chance at life. In a social media message marking the state’s Organ Donation Day, he urged people to remember those who chose to help others even after their own lives had ended. Vijay said every donated organ represents h

A group of candidates appointed under the sports quota in the Andhra Pradesh District Selection Committee recruitment process has strongly objected to allegations of irregularities raised by former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and YSR Congress Party leaders. The candidates maintained that their appointments were secured through the prescribed recruitment procedure and supported by valid sports certificates and othe

Tension erupted at Hyderabad’s Hussain Sagar on Monday after members of the Ganesh Utsav Samiti allegedly removed barricades installed to prevent Ganesh idol immersion at Tank Bund. Police personnel detained several participants as they attempted to bring the situation under control. The Telangana government and Hyderabad police had placed restrictions near the lake following directions concerning the immersion of Ganesh idols, particularly those made of plas

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan stopped his convoy on Sunday after noticing a young accident victim on Container Road in Ernakulam and immediately offered assistance. Satheesan was travelling through the area when he spotted the injured man. He directed his vehicle to stop and extended help before continuing with his scheduled programmes. The Chief Minister’s intervention attracted attention, with visuals and reports of the incident circulating widely.

Devotees planning to visit Hyderabad’s famous Khairatabad Ganesh have until midnight on September 23 to have darshan of the 69-foot Panchamukha Sankatahara Maha Ganapati. The Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Committee announced that September 23 would be the final day of public darshan. It clarified that devotees would not be allowed to enter the pandal for darshan on September 24 as preparations would begin for the idol’s im

The long wait for Lord Venkateswara’s darshan at Tirumala is set to become more spiritually engaging as the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams introduces artificial intelligence, virtual reality and immersive visual storytelling at the Vaikuntam Queue Complex. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the Rs 4 crore Devotional Experience Centre at Vaikuntam Queue Complex 1 on Wednesday. The facility has been launched on a pilot basis to engage devotees duri

Cabinet decision announced after the meeting, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | Saral Keralam will offer time-bound, single-window clearances for investment proposals through district and state bodies. Kerala Cabinet Clears Saral Keralam for Faster Investment Nod The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday approved Saral Keralam, a new single-window mechanism designed to simplify and accelerate investment approvals by bringing departme