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After the announcement of the UGC Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026 on 13 January 2026, there was a big outcry online The Ministry of Education has since issued a statement clarifying a few points of these regulations. The regulations which are binding on all higher education institutions, aim at elimination of caste and other types of discrimination in colleges and universities.

At a time when the government wants to ensure that the public has correct and comprehensive knowledge of the new laws, officials have indicated that the main factor behind the public backlash is the lie and misunderstanding, particularly on social networks. The ministry has also stated that the regulations should not be the subject of exaggeration and that the fears propagated online are without any foundation.

The most noticeable feature of the new regulations is that they extend the scope of discrimination far beyond that based on caste only, to include such elements as religion, gender, place of birth, and disability. They furthermore require that OBC students be part of the institution's equality and anti, discrimination committees, which, according to the government, is a measure intended to enhance student representation as well as harmony in the campus environment.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has emphasized that any kind of discrimination, whether direct or indirect, against SC, ST, and OBC students will be regarded as a criminal offence for which strict disciplinary measures will be taken as per the regulations. These rules supersede the 2012 guidelines and aim at establishing bias, free, exclusion, free, and inequality, free university environments.

Nevertheless, the regulations have stirred up heated discussions on the Internet. The hashtag #RollbackUGC has gone viral on social media where critics have called for the withdrawal of the rules. Some factions have dubbed the regulations as "UGC's black law" and have raised issues that children from the general category may be unfairly targeted or viewed with suspicion.

Officials from the Ministry, in response to criticism, said that the guidelines are meant to establish fairness among different groups and not to single out any group for wrongdoing. Hence, the government will soon provide detailed clarifications to deny the misinformation and give confidence to the stakeholders.

However, the issue is still being discussed and the extent these rules affect relationships on campus and the way institutions are governed will likely be a topic of intense national debate.

Although initially considered a suspicious death, subsequent inquiries revealed that the death was due to an accident and resulted in the absconding of the suspect.

Ayurvedic Institute in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a first year college student, was found dead after having mysterious circumstances. His family members, who were grieving, staged a protest.

According to a complaint by Vishal's family to the police, this incident was covered up as a tragic death and they were demanding a CBI probe into the death and supplying the police with all the facts regarding this incident, the news agency PTI reported. Ragging issues were also raised in the complaint by the family, which according to them, the authorities have not taken care of.

Received call about accident, later found Vishal dead

It was a Sunday night when the family received a call from a man named Monu. He told them that Vishal had met with an accident and that the injuries were minor, only to be surprised that the family was informed that Vishal had passed away and that his body was kept at the mortuary on their arrival in Saharanpur.

According to Arun, who is Vishal's brother, the dispute between Vishal and a few senior students of the college was due to a minor scuffle over a girl. He further claimed that they had intentions to hurt him.

In the FIR, Vishal's father stated that Vishal was riding a motorcycle along with two other students of the 2024 batch when the incident occurred. The incident, which was told as an accident, led to the death of Vishal, but the other two students received only minor injuries, his father reportedly said.

Raising suspicions about the claims of the college authorities, the family said that Vishal's phone was accessed before his death, allegedly to tamper with his call records and messages. Among the father and the most up front, he has named a few women students and a female teacher of the conspiracy of killing his son and also of trying that.

He said, in addition to sending the body for the post mortem, the investigation is also underway, " Akshay Sharma, Station House Officer, reportedly said.

At the same time, the management of the college has declined to comment on the matter until now. The family and relatives of the girl, who is suspected of having an affair with a teacher, went to the college campus on Monday and held a protest by blocking the road.

However, as a precaution, the authorities had deployed a heavy police force in and around the college campus, the report said.

Republic Day is meant to teach children dignity, equality, and pride in the Constitution. But in Madhya Pradesh's Maihar district, that lesson was delivered on torn notebook pages. A disturbing video from Bhatgawan village has gone viral, which shows government schoolchildren being served their special Republic Day mid, day meal not on plates but on scraps of paper pages torn from old notebooks and books.

On January 26, it was a day of puri and halwa special mid, day meal as per government instructions. Children had to sit on the ground, but instead of plates or even leaf platters, they were given dirty, ink, stained paper sheets that were spread out in front of them and food was served on these sheets directly. Children were forced to eat hot food from pages meant for writing and pages that once carried ink, dust, and grime.

What makes the incident more serious is that funds had already been released for purchasing plates according to student strength. Yet, on Republic Day, not a single plate was seen.

Specialists caution that it is very unsafe to serve food on printed or written paper. The printing ink carries lead and other harmful chemicals that can end up in your food if it is hot, especially in the case of halwa, which is a dessert. This exposure, among other things, could lead children to develop severe health problems.

Following the release of the video, parents and residents showed their frustration and shame and asked how such a situation could be allowed by the education wing.

Senior executive Vishnu Tripathi said that he was informed about the viral clip and further he instructed the Block Resource Coordinator (BRC) to undertake a school visit and a formal investigation. He assured that a strong decision would be taken against the offenders after the investigation report is submitted.

Part of what makes the whole matter at Maihar even more upsetting is the glaring discrepancy in the official figures themselves. According to the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) programme, it is mandatory for schools all over the country to submit daily mid, day meal data. The PM POSHAN data of January 26 shows that out of 88, 281 schools in Madhya Pradesh, only 66, 315 schools, approximately 75.12%, filed their data.\

It is quite surprising to learn that as many as 21, 966 schools did not submit any data whatsoever.

The data that was submitted claims that 36,28,061 meals were served across the state that day. But the most alarming detail lies elsewhere. Despite Madhya Pradesh now having 55 districts, PM POSHAN data continues to reflect figures from only 52 districts. Maihar district does not even feature in the official records.

In other words, on the very day children in Maihar were eating food off torn notebook pages, the system did not even acknowledge the district's existence in its data. 

The absence raises uncomfortable questions not just about monitoring failures, but about how many such violations go unreported simply because they never enter the data at all.

Last year, a strikingly similar lapse was reported from Hullpur village in the Vijaypur block of Sheopur district, exposing deep cracks in the implementation of the government's mid-day meal scheme.

A viral video from Hullpur showed young children eating mid-day meal on torn pieces of old notebook paper, spread directly on the ground. Visuals showed rows of children sitting on the ground with legs crossed, holding rotis in their hands while food was being poured on scraps of paper. These children looked very poor and unfortunate. Moreover, teachers standing nearby as silent witnesses, who should have been the ones to ensure dignity and hygiene, were also being blamed.

The ruling BJP had promised to raise the quality of mid, day meals in its 2023 Assembly election manifesto. Departments like Panchayat, Women and Child Development, and School Education had even been talking about providing balanced meals and tetra, packed milk along with the meals.

However, the photos from Hullpur and now Maihar completely contradict those promises and show that the children are living in a very harsh reality, even the dignity of a clean plate is still a far cry for them.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has put out a notice which indicates the likely number of seats for postgraduate (PG) medical courses in medical colleges and institutions all over India for the academic year 202526. According to the notice, the seat scenario is grounded on the information available as of 22 January 2026.

The NMC has instructed the medical colleges and institutions to cross, check and confirm the number of seats mentioned in the announcement. Besides, the institutions have been given the instruction to notify the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the NMC immediately with any discrepancies for the rectification process. The primary focus of the effort is to maintain transparency and accuracy in the admission process prior to counseling.

The release reflects the division of the postgraduate seats by state and college along with the number of seats for the academic line 202425, the seats newly allowed for 202526, and the final approved seat count. Candidates who wish to get admission in MD, MS, and diploma courses may refer to the detailed seat matrix on the official NMC website.

The Board has announced the tentative PG seats release while the examination authorities are on to the preparations of next national, level entrance tests. On the other hand, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has revealed the tentative dating for NEET PG 2026 and NEET MDS 2026.

According to the official notification, both the tests shall be held in computer, based test (CBT) mode at centres across the country. NEET MDS 2026 is slated for May 2, 2026 (Saturday), and the internship completion deadline for MDS candidates has been laid down as May 31, 2026. The NEET PG 2026 exam date is tentatively August 30, 2026.

NEET PG and NEET MDS are yearly examinations that enable students to get admission in postgraduate medical and dental courses at different colleges of the country. The tentative release of the seat data is expected to be a very handy tool for the candidates in planning their preparation and counseling journey most effectively.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared and heartily supported many infrastructure projects at Singur in Hooghly district of West Bengal, the total cost of which is more than Rs 830 crore. The projects, which are mainly focused on the development of ports and inland waterways, will not only make cargo and passenger movement easier but also contribute to the sustainable economic growth of eastern India.

While talking to the people, the Prime Minister said that the eastern part of India is the main driver of the country's overall development and that port based, led and waterways infrastructure would be the main source of generating huge trade, logistics, and employment opportunities over time.

That day the most thrilling announcement was probably the reveal of the ports and inland waterways projects to the tune of Rs 552 crore, the aim of which is to ramp up riverine logistics, lessen the burden on conventional transport routes and improve multimodal connectivity. These projects conform to the Government of India's vision of making inland waterways a low cost, non-polluting and reliable mode of transport.

Besides infrastructure, the inland waterways expansion and port modernisation programmes are giving rise to higher demand for skilled professionals, specialised training and research, led education. Students and young professionals pursuing green shipping and logistics, among other areas, can look for career opportunities in navigation, logistics, marine engineering, environmental sustainability and maritime management.

Green Mobility & Multimodal Logistics

The Prime Minister has also thrown open the Extended Port Gate System at Balagarh which has been implemented by the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority. It is a facility about 45 nautical miles upstream from Kolkata and is meant to resolve the problem of congestion at the Kolkata Dock System and enable smooth cargo movement through National Waterway, 1 along the GangaBhagirathiHooghly stretch. The terminal has the capability to handle containerised and coal cargo with the capacity planned at 2.7 million tonnes per annum, and it is backed by road and rail connectivity along with advanced dredging facilities for ensuring navigation throughout the year.

As part of the clean mobility initiative, Modi launched six hybrid electric aluminium catamarans, including a 50-passenger vessel powered by advanced lithium-titanate battery technology. Built at a cost of Rs 12 crore, the vessels represent a good move of green inland water transport, providing energy, efficient and environmentally friendly passenger mobility on the waterways of Kolkata.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, informed that inland waterways which had been underutilised are now, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, turning out to be a modern, efficient and economical mode of transport. He further stated that the projects will facilitate cargo movement, lower logistics cost & create employment besides promoting sustainable development.

Institutions under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, including the Indian Maritime University, are updating their academic programmes and training frameworks to be aligned with the changing industry requirements. Officials emphasized that the combination of infrastructure development and skills creation will be the mainstay of the maritime and inland waterways sector of India for the long term.

A fresh controversy has erupted at Delhi University (DU) after teachers and senior academic body members accused the South Campus director of carrying out “rambo-ish” surprise inspections at select colleges to check whether classes were being held. Calling the move an attack on institutional autonomy, they have demanded immediate intervention from Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh.

In a strongly worded memorandum submitted to the VC, members of the Executive Council (EC), Academic Council (AC), and the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) said these inspections violated statutory provisions and undermined the federal governance structure of DU colleges.

Surprise Visits on a Holiday Spark Outrage

Teachers informed that these surprise inspections were carried out on Makar Sankranti, a day off in Delhi without any working arrangements and a full public holiday in the neighbouring states like Uttar Pradesh. Staff members noted that the very fact of such visits at this time was inappropriate and, furthermore, the procedure for the visits was highly questionable.

They pointed out the help of Ordinance XVIII and the existing Governing Body regulations, which make it very clear that it is primarily college principals, who through their faculties, organize teaching schedules and academic operations, and thus can be held responsible for them and not college, level administrators or university, level administrators.

“Such actions blur the lines of authority and disrupt the democratic functioning of colleges,” the memorandum stated.

‘System Already Under Strain,’ Say Teachers

The letter of protest also raises other issues that have been there for a long time and are deeply embedded in the DU college system. The teachers have pointed out that the introduction of the Four, Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) as per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, together with the widening of the EWS quota, has put a tremendous pressure on the institutions.

It is said that these colleges are facing faculty shortages, large student classrooms, and lack of basic facilities, yet the releases of funds and new recruitments have not been in line with these reforms.

At a moment when colleges are still figuring out a smooth running of timetables and the academic workflows, such inspections only bring about stress and demoralisation, the teachers added.

Demand for VCs Immediate Intervention

The signatories have appealed to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh to intervene to protect the autonomy of the colleges and make sure that any kind of monitoring is done in accordance with due process. They have pointed out that if the interference is allowed to continue, it could lower the morale of the teaching staff and hurt DU's established governance structure.

Who Signed the Letter?

The memorandum has been signed by several senior members of DU’s statutory bodies, including Rajpal Singh Pawar, JL Gupta, Bimalendu Theerthankar, Mamta Chaudhary, Ramkishore Yadav, Pawan Kumar, TN Ojha, Priyam Barooah, and Dhanraj Meena.