Here are five news from the day:

Ajit Pawar laid to rest, govt assures time-bound probe into plane crash

Full state honours were accorded to Ajit Pawar as his mortal remains were taken to the Vidya Pratishthan ground for the last rites. Supporters gathered outside Ahilyabai Holkar Government Medical College to pay their final respects.The ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) issued a statement on the probe into the plane crash at Baramati airport that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others on Wednesday. The ministry said the probe into the Learjet 45 aircraft crash is progressing expeditiously. Read full story

SC stays new UGC rules amid uproar

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the University Grant Commission’s (UGC) new set of rules aimed at promoting equality in higher education institutions (HEI) amid nationwide protests over the legislation’s controversial definition of discrimination.A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the Centre and the UGC on the pleas challenging the regulation. Read full story

Tharoor meets Rahul, Kharge, says ‘we are all on same page’

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday met party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi amid speculations of a rift between him and the party leadership.After meeting Rahul Gandhi and Kharge, Tharoor asserted that “all is good” and that he was on the “same page” with the Congress leadership. Read full story

6-year-old girl sexually assaulted in Delhi; 2 boys held, one absconding

A six-year-old girl was recently sexually assaulted, allegedly by three boys — aged between nine and 16 years — in northeast Delhi’s Bhajanpura. A case was registered under Pocso Act and two of the boys were apprehended. The eldest one reportedly fled to Bihar. Police are looking for him.The survivor’s family and neighbours are said to have blocked a road on Monday in protest against the incident that had taken place in the evening of Jan 18. Read full story

GDP growth pegged at 7.4%, inflation at historic lows, says Economic Survey 2025-26

India is expected to retain its position as the world’s fastest-growing major economy, with real GDP growth projected at 7.4% in FY26, despite a fragile global backdrop marked by geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation and financial risks, the Economic Survey 2025–26 said.Tabled in Parliament by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the survey said India’s macroeconomic fundamentals have strengthened, supported by resilient domestic demand, disciplined fiscal consolidation and improving financial sector health. It also underlined the need for strategic resilience as the global economic order undergoes rapid shifts. Follow live updates