1. In Manipur, no respite in sight

All major roads leading to Manipur’s state capital, Imphal, were blocked with debris as protests continued overnight over the arrests of Meitei outfit leaders. The state has been on the boil for over two years and is now under President’s Rule. The violence and unrest show no signs of dying out. Meanwhile, Union home minister Amit Shah reportedly said: “Peace in Jammu and Kashmir and northeast achieved.”

2. In financial capital, deaths from overcrowded trains

Four people were killed when they fell off a train heading to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on Monday during office hours. Maharashtra Assembly Speaker and BJP leader Rahul Narwekar told PTI Videos: "It is an unfortunate incident, the government, the railway administration will take necessary steps, but we have seen in last few years, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has done an unprecedented work in Mumbai circuit, but the population is swelling, when working capacity goes beyond, overcrowding happens, but this is unfortunate, we need to find a solution."

3. Tamil Nadu pleads for funds on education

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to accord urgent hearing to a plea filed by the Tamil Nadu government against the Centre for allegedly withholding over Rs 2,151 crore in central education funds under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme for 2024-2025.

In May, the Tamil Nadu government moved the top court against the Centre for allegedly withholding the funds. The state government alleged the Centre attempted to force the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the associated PM SHRI Schools Scheme which it strongly objected to, particularly the contentious three-language formula.

The dispute stems from the non-release of central funds under the scheme, a flagship centrally sponsored programme for school education aimed at universalising quality education.

The Project Approval Board (PAB) of the Ministry of Education had approved a total outlay of Rs 3,585.99 crore for Tamil Nadu for FY 2024 25, of which the Union government’s committed 60 per cent share amounted to Rs 2,151.59 crore.

The plea said despite this approval, no instalments have been disbursed by the Centre as yet.

4. Apex court protects journalists from arrest

The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to two Madhya Pradesh journalists who have alleged custodial violence, caste-based abuse and ongoing threat to life from police in Bhind, including the superintendent of police. The apex court, however, refused to entertain the plea by the two journalists and asked them to move the high court, as reported by legal websites.

5. And another court protects a satirist

Allahabad High Court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to Lucknow University professor and satirist Madri Kakoti in a case filed against her by an activist of the ABVP, the RSS’s student wing, about her remarks on social media about the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

6. Demand for rural jobs goes up

A total of 28.39 million households have sought work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in May this year, two websites reported citing data from the ministry of rural development.

A total of 27.18 million households had sought work under the scheme last year in May and this year the figure increased to 28.39 million, The Wire and Mint both reported.

Data for June were not promising either. In June 2024, the demand was 26.40 million but it touched 13.48 million in just the first seven days of June this year, the data revealed, according to Mint.

“Past trends have shown that demand for work under the MGNREGS increases when farm or non-farm job opportunities decrease,” The Wire wrote.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat chief minister’s office wrote on social media: “Under the visionary leadership of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi, countless welfare schemes and initiatives implemented with incredible speed and unprecedented scale in the last 11 years have transformed the socio-economic landscape of the nation and brought a new dawn in the lives of people.”

7. How many heatwave deaths? No one knows

“India's heatwaves worsening, but no one knows how many dying,” was the headline of a PTI story on Monday, that said an investigation had revealed that disjointed, outdated reporting systems are obscuring the true toll, weakening both public awareness and policy action.

Currently, at least three separate datasets attempt to monitor heatstroke or heat-related deaths. The two most-commonly cited in the media are maintained by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the health ministry and the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under the home ministry.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) also carries figures on deaths caused by "heatwaves" in its annual reports, drawing data primarily from media coverage.

However, these three sources report widely-varying numbers.

8. A reel-making contest to show development

The ministry of information and broadcasting put out a post on social media calling for reels – short videos for social media – from people about how India has changed.

“India has changed, and YOU have witnessed it,” the ministry post said. “From bullet trains to startups, smart villages to green tech – show the world the change you have seen, lived, and captured through your lens and bag home a winning amount Rs 50,000/. To participate in #BadaltaBharatMeraAnubhav Challenge, visit http://mygov.in”

That was not the only contest the ministry announced. Another contest asked filmmakers, media students to bring to life breakthroughs in “rural innovation” to the “rise of world-class infrastructure”, and compete for exciting prizes worth up to Rs 3,00,000.

In short, if you sing paeans of the government, you will be rewarded.

9. In Odisha, a protest

Various minority organisations staged protests against the rising incidents of hate crimes that they said have increased since the BJP assumed power in the state on June 12, 2024. The demonstrators alleged that the BJP-led government has failed to take action against attacks.

10. Election Commission under scanner

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Monday said the Election Commission should come clean on doubts raised about the Maharashtra Assembly polls by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

The former poll strategist said that while he did not consider himself a "specialist" in these matters, the EC should respond to allegations made "in writing" by Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Rahul, on his part, lauded the Election Commission's reported decision to share the electoral-roll data for Haryana and Maharashtra. He called it "a good first step" and urged the poll body to announce the exact date by which the data would be handed over in a digital, machine-readable format.

11. A telling editorial

An editorial in The Telegraph on Monday highlighted how the Reserve Bank of India’s 2024-25 annual report has revealed that bank frauds have risen sharply from Rs 12,230 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 36,014 crore in 2024-25 — three times higher in just one year. Part of this escalation, the RBI has said, could be attributed to the fresh registration of fraud in 122 old cases during the current financial year after ensuring compliance with a judgment of the Supreme Court in March 2023. However, this does not take away from the Rs 36,014 crore that has gone missing from banks. Moreover, this rise was in spite of a fall in the number of fraud cases registered, from 36,060 to 23,953. This means that the frauds are becoming bigger in size. Public sector banks reported fewer cases than private banks but still accounted for a staggering 71.3 per cent of the total money lost.