Good morning! Here’s your quick catch-up on the biggest stories making headlines today.
The BJP has reshuffled its national team ahead of crucial Assembly elections, bringing Smriti Irani back as general secretary and giving senior leaders including Vasundhara Raje and Ram Madhav new responsibilities. The changes signal a balance between experienced hands and a younger generation.
Meanwhile, the push for E20 petrol has come under fresh scrutiny, with Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran backing E10 to protect older two-wheelers from potential engine strain.
Also in today’s Bhaskar Smart Brief, our explainer examines how Census 2027 could classify some live-in couples as ‘married’ without changing their legal status.
Along with these, we’ve rounded up the other top stories you need to start your day.
Today’s Top Headlines
1. Smriti Irani in, Amit Malviya out; BJP reshuffle focuses on youth, women
BJP has reshuffled its national team, blending familiar faces with new responsibilities as the 2027 electoral battle slowly comes into view. Smriti Irani returns to a key organisational role as general secretary, while Vasundhara Raje and Ram Madhav are among 13 national vice-presidents.
BL Santosh continues as organisational general secretary. The party has also changed its digital leadership, with Deepak Maheshke replacing Amit Malviya as IT cell head.
With crucial polls ahead in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab and other states, the new team carries both experience and fresh energy. PM Modi congratulated the newly appointed office-bearers. READ MORE
2. CEA warns on E20, calls for E10 to protect older vehicles
Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran has sounded a cautionary note on India’s ethanol push, calling for E10 petrol alongside E20 to protect 7.5-8 crore older two-wheelers.
He warned that carburettor-based engines may face overheating and faster wear on E20. But the bigger worry lies beyond the road. Moving towards E27-E30 could divert more maize, sugarcane and grains from food and animal feed to fuel, pushing up prices.
Nageswaran also flagged the heavy water footprint of sugarcane. He said that India can fill its fuel tanks, but not at the cost of emptying its food plates. READ MORE
3. Live-in couples may be counted as ‘married’ in Census, but rights remain limited
Census 2027 may count live-in couples as “married” if they describe their relationship as a stable union. But this does not make them legally married.
The Census records how households live, while the Supreme Court recently extended anti-cruelty protection to women in relationships “in the nature of marriage”. Such protection already exists under the Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
Courts consider factors such as shared home, financial dependence, duration and children. Yet live-in partners do not automatically get inheritance, pension or spouse-specific rights. In short, the law is opening a door, but marriage remains a different legal room. READ MORE
4. Fourteen lives lost in three incidents in Bihar
Sawan’s holy Monday turned tragic in Bihar as 14 people, including seven women and seven children, died in three separate incidents.
In Lakhisarai, panic over a fallen pole and rumours of electrocution triggered a stampede near a temple, killing seven women and injuring over 12 devotees.
Meanwhile, four girls drowned while bathing in the Ganga in Patna; two bodies were recovered and two remain missing. In Katihar, three children drowned in the Kamla river. READ MORE
5. LPG e-KYC deadline extended to August 23, but queues grow
The LPG e-KYC deadline has moved from August 16 to August 23, bringing a week of relief, but the ground reality remains unchanged.
As OMC servers stumble and apps crash under heavy traffic, consumers are left waiting in long queues outside gas agencies.
For many, the digital shortcut has become a roadblock. E-KYC can be completed through Indane, HP Pay or Hello BPCL apps, or via biometric verification at agencies and during cylinder delivery. Missing the deadline won’t cancel connections, but subsidies may stop until verification is completed. READ MORE
The Day Ahead
- US envoy Gor to unveil roadmap for deeper India-US trade, investment and strategic ties in Mumbai; Fadnavis to deliver inaugural address
- Priyanka Gandhi likely to visit Mandi in Himachal; to inaugurate a school rebuilt after being damaged in the devastating 2023 floods
- Jharkhand student protesters give CM Soren Aug 18 ultimatum; State Congress to discuss at a meeting; stir enters its 25th day with 6 agitators still on hunger strike
- Tata Sons’ Aug 18 AGM likely to be adjourned? Trust deadlock persists after N Chandrasekaran’s resignation
- Shivraj Singh Chouhan to unveil agriculture, rural development roadmap on Aug 18 under PM Modi’s ‘Shakti Ki Sapt Dhara’ initiative
Visual of the day
Monsoon Struggles: Commuters use umbrellas while boarding local trains amid heavy rainfall at Bidhannagar Road railway station in Kolkata.
Today in History
Statement of the day
News With a Twist
Tourists paying to experience floods and storms in China
Some stories sound so unusual that they could easily be mistaken for fiction. But from people paying to experience simulated disasters to a driver dancing on a moving truck, reality continues to produce headlines stranger than imagination.
From electricity generated through soil to a man with no hands being accused of throwing stones, these stories offer some of the day’s most unexpected twists. Here are five unusual stories that grabbed attention. READ MORE
News in Headlines
8 dead, 11 injured in West Bengal’s Birbhum hotel fire, AC short circuit suspected READ MORE
2 killed, 13 injured as Russian missile hits Lakshmi Mittal’s Ukraine steel plant READ MORE
Rahul, Sonia accused of disrespecting Vande Mataram, probe begins READ MORE
Iran offers ₹28 lakh for killing, capturing US soldiers, women to get double reward READ MORE
Australia’s under-16 social media ban falters: 80% teens remain active online READ MORE
Delhi AIIMS says Twisha Sharma died by suicide; CBI charges Giribala-Samarth with dowry death READ MORE
