On December 15, 1971, the 3rd Battalion of the Grenadiers under Lt Col VP Airy was assigned the task of establishing a bridgehead across the Basantar River in the Shakargarh Sector. The river was covered with deep minefields on both sides and protected by well-fortified Pakistani defences. Major Hoshiar Singh, commanding ‘C’ Company, was ordered...

On January 6, 2026, months after granting conditional approval to start an MBBS course, the National Medical Commission (NMC) withdrew permission for the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, following a regulatory process punctuated by inspections, complaints and, eventually, political and public unrest.At its core, the...

Dr. Sowmya Swaminathan, former DG-ICMR and MS Swaminathan Research Foundation chair. File | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B The MS Swaminathan Research Foundation chair and former DG-ICMR, Soumya Swaminathan, will be speaking on ‘Climate Change & Global Health’ as part of the 13th Dr. Manohar V.N. Shirodkar Memorial Lecture organised by the Telangana Akademi of...