MP Evening Wrap:MP’s ‘Detroit’ faces crisis amid ongoing war; Kuwait desalination plant attacked, Iran blames Israel more

Bhaskar English brings you the biggest updates from Madhya Pradesh and around the world. Here are the top news headlines of the day: 1. Kuwait desalination plant attacked, Iran blames Israel Kuwait reported an Iranian attack on a power and desalination plant before midday Friday. Damage details remain unclear. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps condemned the strike, calling it an “unconventional and illegitimate” Israeli attack on Kuwait’s infrastructure. Read more 2. MP’s ‘Detroit’ faces crisis amid ongoing war; over 20,000 workers unemployed, questions raised on govt’s crisis management The ongoing tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States are impacting Pithampur, known as Madhya Pradesh’s “Detroit.” Industrialists warn that if the situation does not improve soon, the coming months could be extremely challenging for both industries and workers. Read More 3. ‘Lakhpati Didi’ worse than labourers; govt withholds payments, thousands of women unpaid for uniform stitching in MP Sangita Nagvanshi, a member of the ‘Jai Maa Kali’ self-help group from Handia in Harda district, stitched 800–900 uniforms for four schools during 2023–24, but nearly ₹50,000 remains unpaid even after two years, raising concerns as the government promotes the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme. Read More 4. Shah promises UCC in Assam, exempting tribals Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in Assam, while assuring that tribal communities will be kept outside its ambit. Read more 5. Rahul Gandhi and Kartikeya to face off in High Court Rahul Gandhi and the family of former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan are set to face off in the Madhya Pradesh High Court in a defamation case. Rahul Gandhi has challenged summons issued by the MP-MLA Court; a bench of Pramod Kumar Agrawal will hear the matter next week. Read More 6. Man plants speaker bomb to frame in-laws; explosion in temple complex injures 3, arrested A man accused of planting a speaker bomb at the Ranagir Devi Dham Temple complex in Sagar confessed he intended to frame his in-laws. The March 17 blast injured three people, including an 11-year-old girl undergoing treatment in Bhopal. Read More 7. Online payment can be done without OTP Major private banks and telecom firms in India are developing ‘silent authentication’ technology. It allows online payments without OTP by verifying in the background if the phone’s SIM matches the number registered in the bank app. Transactions may be blocked if a mismatch is detected, enhancing security while simplifying payments. Read more 8. New rule for tree cutting during road works; 6-foot trees to be planted with care, 1,300 trees in place of 130 During road construction, if trees are cut, the corporation must now plant 6-foot-tall trees instead of saplings and ensure regular maintenance. The state government has also appointed a Tree Officer. Read More 9. MP govt approves arrears for 1.5 lakh teachers; fourth time-bound promotion after 35 years of service The Madhya Pradesh government has approved implementation of the fourth time-scale (fourth career progression) for school education department teachers after 35 years of service, benefiting 1.5 lakh teachers with significant financial relief. Read More 10. Centre pauses airlines’ 60% free seat selection rule The government has postponed its rule mandating airlines to offer 60% of seats for free, originally set from 20 April. Currently, only 20% of seats are free, with the rest attracting ₹500–₹3,000 charges. Read more