Mahipal Lomror’s knock was embellished with some delightful strokes
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Tamil Nadu skipper Sai Kishore received a boost with India all-rounder Washington Sundar joining the squad on Friday ahead of the team’s Ranji Trophy opener against Rajasthan at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
| Photo Credit: S. Prasanna Venkatesan

India’s first and most modern uranium mine
| Photo Credit: Vinaya Deshpande Pandit

Karnataka collected ₹4,779.37 crore in user fees from 68 operational toll plazas on National Highways during 2025-26, according to data. The State has witnessed a steady rise in both toll collections and the number of operational fee plazas over the past five years.

The figures were provided by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in a written reply to an unstarred question raised by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on July 29.

The Ministry’s data shows that Karnataka’s operational toll plazas increased from 46 in 2021-22 to 52 in 2022-23, 54 in 2023-24, 60 in 2024-25, and 68 in 2025-26, marking an increase of nearly 48% over the five-year period.

Toll collections in the State also registered consistent growth during the same period. Karnataka collected ₹2,351.26 crore in 2021-22, which rose to ₹3,516.79 crore in 2022-23, ₹4,086.18 crore in 2023-24, ₹4,320.27 crore in 2024-25 and ₹4,779.37 crore in 2025-26. Overall, the State’s toll revenue has more than doubled over five years. Meanwhile, the Ministry further informed that user fee collection has been temporarily discontinued at one National Highway toll plaza in Karnataka due to public agitation and law-and-order issues.

Nationally, toll collections from National Highway and Expressway fee plazas reached ₹68,483 crore in 2025-26. Including revenue from the newly introduced Annual Pass scheme, the total collections stood at ₹70,278.18 crore during the financial year.

Karnataka among top five

Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest toll collection at ₹8,862.12 crore, followed by Rajasthan with ₹7,317.51 crore, Maharashtra with ₹7,053.71 crore, Gujarat with ₹6,352.38 crore, and Karnataka, which ranked among the top five with ₹4,779.37 crore.

The Ministry said information on expenditure incurred for operating toll plazas is not maintained centrally because fee plazas are operated under different implementation models. The operating costs are borne by the respective concessionaires or user fee collection agencies under their contractual agreements.

On toll policy, the Centre said it has undertaken several reforms over the past year to make toll collection more efficient while reducing the burden on road users.

Among the major changes is the introduction of an Annual Pass for non-commercial cars, jeeps and vans through a notification issued on June 17, 2025. The pass allows 200 crossings or one year’s validity, whichever is earlier, on payment of ₹3,000, revised to ₹3,075 for 2026-27.

Published – July 31, 2026 06:00 am IST

Jaisalmer Collector Anupama Jorwal said all constructions and encroachments located between zero and 15 kilometres from the international border would be mapped and verified. Representational file image.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Popular YouTuber Mithilesh Backpaker recently shared an experience he encountered in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, wherein a group of men harassed his Russian wife. The vlogger captured the incident on camera and later posted it online. In the video, he revealed that a group of men followed his wife Lisa and their two-year-old son during their visit to the City Palace in Udaipur. He also captured the moment his wife was harassed with comments like “6,000 INR?”. 

The YouTuber was recording a video when one man made a sexually-coloured remark directed at his wife. He immediately turned his camera to the eve-teaser and confronted him. He threatened to call the police even as the harasser kept denying that his remark was directed towards the Russian woman.

“6,000 INR kisko bolta, merko samajhta nahi kya? (Don’t I understand whom you are saying 6,000 to?)” the YouTuber asked. “Kikso bola? Meri wife Russian hai toh tu ulta seedha comment dega? (My wife is Russian so you will say these nonsensical things?)” he added.

In the video, the YouTuber said that the men had been following him and his family around even before the “6,000 INR” comment triggered him. He claimed that the City Palace security, instead of assisting him, urged him to drop the matter and not call the police. He criticised India’s security situation for women and the attitude of people. 

“I was so angry. I was with my wife. How can people behave in this manner? It was very shocking and very shameful for me. My wife came to India… I wanted to promote Indian tourism, that India is so beautiful, so safe. And when something like this happens, what do I do?” he asked.

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The YouTuber shared the video earlier this month. Since then, the clip has gone viral and sparked outrage among social media users. “Definitely you should file a police complaint, such things should not be taken lightly, it is deep rooted in young indian minds, and should be punished,” commented one user. 

“Shame on us Shame on India. We just stand, watch and film without helping others. We are a failed society with inhumanity. Not only this case but there so many similar cases rising. I am really sorry for such misbehave Mithilesh bhai and everyone who faced such harassment. I hope one day things will change positively,” said another. 

“You should file a complaint against that boy. Ridiculous to see, how Indian youth trying to damage the picture of India in the eyes of foreigners,” suggested a third user. “absolutely horrendous behaviour ….felt so bad,” expressed another. 

New Delhi:

A bus carrying 45 passengers crashed into a truck in Rajasthan’s Dausa district on Thursday morning, injuring 30 people and leaving at least 10 in a critical condition. The incident took place on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway when the sleeper bus was travelling from Ujjain to Delhi.

According to officials, dense fog in the morning caused the accident.

The impact of the crash was so strong that the front of the bus was shattered. Visuals of the incident site show the bus – especially up to the driver’s seat, being completely wrecked.

The injured people have been taken to a nearby hospital, while the ones in critical condition have been taken to Jaipur for treatment. Most of the injured people are residents of Delhi and others are from Sonipat and Kota.

“This accident happened in front of pillar number 198 on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Ladli Ka Bans village. Due to heavy fog, a sleeper coach bus collided with a truck. There were about 45 people on this bus. The accident was so severe that the front part of the bus was completely damaged,” Deputy SP Charul Gupta said.

Last month, an LPG tanker collided with a truck in Rajasthan on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway, sparking a massive fire and turning the stretch into an inferno. At least 19 people were killed in the incident. The explosion was so intense that several vehicles within a 300-meter radius were engulfed and completely burned and many drivers were reportedly burned in the incident, with some left in critical condition.

New Delhi:

A three-year-old child who fell into a borewell in Rajasthan’s Kotputli 10 days ago, has finally been rescued after more than five failed attempts. Chetna was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital for medical attention. Hospital authorities said while she is currently stable, her condition will continue to be monitored.

Chetna was stuck in a 700-feet borewell in Badiyali ki Dhani of Kiratpura village of Kotputli.

She had fallen in on the afternoon of December 23, while playing. About 10 minutes later, the family heard the girl crying and found her stuck in the borewell.

The national and state Disaster Relief Forces reached immediately with a medical team and efforts have been on since to rescue her.

Oxygen was supplied to the girl through a pipe  and after initial efforts to pull her up failed, the rescue teams started digging. But the tunnel they dug turned out to be in the wrong direction. 

Over the last few hours, neither food not oxygen could be provided to her and her condition became critical. The rescue came in the nick of time.

Collector Kalpana Agarwal explained that the borewell was tilted after a certain depth, which led to mistakes.

Finally, experts from Delhi and Jaipur Metro were called in to assist the rescue teams.

Initially, the tunnel was estimated to require an 8-foot width but was later expanded to 12 feet to facilitate the operation.

Dayaram, Chetna’s grandfather, praised the relentless efforts of the administration and rescue teams, who worked tirelessly in the harsh winter. He urged authorities to cover open borewells to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
 

Jaipur:

A Cabinet meeting was held on Saturday at the Chief Minister’s office under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, to make important decisions for employee welfare, the benefit of youth, ensuring good governance, and overall development of the state, an official release said.

Cabinet Minister Jogaram Patel briefed the media about the decisions taken in the meeting.

The Cabinet has decided to redefine the districts and divisions created by the previous government, after which Rajasthan will now have a total of 7 divisions and 41 districts, according to the release.

Minister Patel stated that the previous government, in its last year, decided to create 17 new districts and 3 new divisions. In this context, the Revenue Department issued a notification on August 5, 2023, for the creation of these districts and divisions.

Three new districts were announced just one day before the 2023 Assembly elections’ model code of conduct was implemented, and their notification could not be issued.

Minister Patel explained that the previous government had created new districts and divisions purely for political gain.

The creation of new districts did not take into account important factors such as financial resources, administrative needs, law and order, or cultural harmony. The previous government did not create the necessary offices or buildings for the new districts, nor did it provide budgets and other necessary resources.

He further mentioned that, to review the previous government’s imprudent decision, the state government formed a Cabinet sub-committee and a high-level expert committee headed by retired IAS officer Dr Lalit K Panwar.

The expert committee submitted its report and recommendations on the reorganization of newly created districts and divisions. After considering these recommendations, the Cabinet decided not to retain 9 new districts–Anupgarh, Dudu, Gangapur City, Jaipur Rural, Jodhpur Rural, Kekri, Neem Ka Thana, Sanchore, and Shahpura–along with the 3 newly created divisions–Banswara, Pali, and Sikar.

Additionally, the three districts announced just before the election code of conduct–Malpura, Sujangarh, and Kuchaman City–will also be cancelled.

Former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot criticised the decision saying it showed confusion in the mind of the state leadership.

“The state government took 1 year to take this decision. From this, it can be guessed how much confusion was in their minds regarding this work… Rajasthan is the largest state in the country… If three divisions were created, then they were created after some thought…In many ways, small districts are beneficial for the public. Gujarat is a state with less population than us (Rajasthan) but still, there are 33 districts there… We took this decision for good governance,” he said.

Rajasthan will have a total of 7 divisions and 41 districts. For the 8 newly retained districts–Phalodi, Balotara, Kotputli-Bahrood, Khairthal-Tijara, Beawar, Deeg, Didwana-Kuchaman, and Salumber–the state government will provide all necessary financial resources and other amenities to establish the administrative framework.

According to the state government, this will ensure that the common people in these districts will truly benefit from the formation of these districts. He also mentioned that the Zila Parishads, Panchayat Samitis, and Gram Panchayats will also be reorganized.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sumit Godara, in the media briefing, announced the Cabinet’s approval for various amendments, including the extension of the CET score validity to 3 years instead of 1 year, providing a third promotion opportunity for livestock assistants, and changing the designations within the technical cadre under the Rajasthan Animal Husbandry Subordinate Service Rules, 1977.

Impact of Penalty under Minimum Assured Career Progression (MACP) Scheme Removed Minister Godara further stated that the Cabinet approved the removal of the penalty effect under the Minimum Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme for employees who have been penalized under the Rajasthan Civil Services (CCS) Rules, 1958. Previously, employees who were penalized could only avail financial promotion after a year of regular service, but this will now be waived.

Minister Godara also highlighted that the validity of the CET score under the Rajasthan Subordinate and Clerk Service (Common Eligibility Test) Rules, 2022, has been increased to 3 years instead of 1 year.

As per the release, this will ease the financial and administrative burden on the boards and give candidates relief, as the number of applicants had been growing each year.

Minister Godara confirmed that a third promotion opportunity would be provided to livestock assistants, and designations would be changed. The new designations include Livestock Inspector for the Livestock Assistant, Livestock Extension Officer for the Veterinary Assistant, and Senior Livestock Extension Officer for the Assistant Information Officer. This will improve the dignity and work efficiency of these employees.

The state Cabinet also approved renaming the Government College in Churu, Siddhmukh, to “Shreemati Shakuntala Devi Government College, Siddhmukh” in honour of a donor and to encourage other philanthropists.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)