The nation is proud of Captain Smit Machchhar. His heroic courage and incredible presence of mind have deeply touched us all.
Even after being seriously injured in a moment of grave peril, he remained determined to protect the lives of others. His bravery and quick response helped prevent a major tragedy and saved many precious lives.
I salute his indomitable spirit. I pray for his speedy recovery and good health.
The situation was quite like 9/11.
Terrorist trained to be a pilot, looks for an opportunity to enter the cockpit, and then kill the captain to eventually take control of the plane & crash it.
This plan was even more foolproof. The terrorist was the co-pilot, no need of announcing a hijack, had an axe instead of a box-cutter, and just had to neutralise one pilot instead of two.
Imagine the bravery of the Indian pilot, who was relentlessly being attacked by an axe, yet managed to relay the signal of a hi jack. And MOST IMPORTANTLY opened the cockpit door so that others can enter. Saved 100+ lives.
The Gujarati pilot, Smit deserves the biggest bravery award. 🙏
This is seriously scary. CCTV footage from Gyirong Port in Tibet, China, directly opposite Nepal’s Rasuwa district. This flash flood hit here first and later caused massive havoc in Nepal. Can’t even imagine someone surviving this. Prayers for everyone affected. 🙏
One year since this audacity.
The victim is bedridden, disoriented, and surviving solely on support, fed through a Ryles tube and requiring round-the-clock nursing and specialized care just to stay alive.. As a family of four with only one earner, they’ve exhausted their savings and borrowed heavily to cover monthly medical bills running into lakhs. They are now crowdfunding, having received no support from the accused’s family.
Meanwhile, the accused is out on bail. The case drags on with long adjournments, and according to a post in r/jammu, the High Court has interim-stayed proceedings under Section 109 (attempt to murder), though I couldn't independently verify this.
What should have been an open-and-shut case will be dragged out for years. Once public memory fades and the family loses the spirit to fight, which they already have, the accused will walk away without consequences.
He's Tukaram Mundhe, a 2005-batch IAS from Maharashtra.
Over the last few weeks, you might have heard his name. That is because he was recently appointed Commissioner of State’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since taking charge, the FDA has been on an absolute warpath, raiding illegal, fake, synthetic, and adulterated products. From synthetic milk networks and adulterated paneer to illegal gutkha and unhygienic eateries, nothing has escaped his radar.
Mundhe has made it clear that even the most famous names will not get a free pass. His department shocked Mumbai by suspending the food licenses of iconic establishments, such as the 73-year-old Marine Drive ice cream parlor K. Rustom & Co., alongside famous eateries like Shalimar Hospitality, Noor Mohammadi Hotel, and Rahmaniya Restaurant, after surprise inspections uncovered severe hygiene violations, including live pests and expired ingredients.
Such is the fear of his crackdowns that, just two days ago, dairy farmers were caught on video spilling hundreds of liters of synthetic milk after rumors of an impending FDA raid spread.
This is his 25th transfer in a 21-year career, a testament to his refusal to bend to political pressure. It makes you wonder: if just one IAS officer can bring about so much change, where would our country be if every bureaucrat were as uncompromising and proactive as him?
Honest feedback for the GoI to consider, offered as a well-wisher:
1. E20 is a massive issue. Just because people aren't protesting in the streets doesn't mean it isn't. There is a simmering anger everywhere.
2. The root cause of this mess is singular: someone decided it was acceptable to ignore the National Policy on Biofuels 2018's plan to introduce E20 in 2030, which would have allowed older, non-compliant vehicles to phase out naturally. Instead, E20 was rolled out despite the fact that most vehicles on the road are not calibrated to run on it.
3. There is no "lobby" behind this public frustration. If the govt believes there is, they should expose the nexus and let citizens decide for themselves. Otherwise, ministers and spokespersons are only making things worse by using "lobbies" and "deep states" as defensive arguments.
4. Vehicle performance is suffering. Drivers are experiencing a drop in mileage and damage to parts. After months of denial, even Nitin Gadkari and Hardeep Puri have acknowledged "some issues" with Ethanol.
5. If the goal is true energy security, the focus and push must shift toward EVs, alongside exploring nuclear energy as a primary power source. The govt should encourage and incentivize EV adoption through subsidies and a robust infrastructure network. Ethanol, in the way it is currently being implemented, is doing more harm than good.
6. The solution is to provide a choice between E0 and E20. If the current fuel infrastructure cannot support both, E20 should be rolled back to E10 until 2030. This will allow older cars and bikes to be phased out naturally before moving forward. And also, do not introduce E27 or whatever is next till the new fleet is E27 compliant and all E20 cars are phased out, unless there is an infrastructure in place to dispense both in future.
@MuscleBlaze I bought a 2kg jar of muscleblaze performance whey , however the powder has a mixture of brown powder in it. Pls look into it, it looks like adulteration. The jar seems aunthentic as it has a QR code and brought from health kart.
@passportsevamea I applied for my 10 month old baby’s passport at hyderabad MGBS on 5th under tatkal scheme, pre police verification has been initiated as only my husband has spouse name on passport, mine doesn’t.marriage certificate provided.
@passportsevamea still police verification initiated as we applied under tatkal scheme as per the centre. It has been 3 days and no contact from the local police station received. Due to travel urgency so we applied under tatkal scheme.
Sitting in India right now, watching the world burn in real time. US & Israel striking Iran. Iran retaliating across the Gulf. Russia-Ukraine still raging. Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions simmering.
Missiles flying over Tehran, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Qatar.
And here I am, safe at home on a Saturday evening, in a democratic, peaceful country, worrying about none of this at my doorstep.
We don't say this enough - we are incredibly lucky. Not perfect, not without problems. But at peace. That's not a small thing in 2026.
@ICICILombard waited 15 mins at your call centre que for a simple OPD slot reschedule which was wrongly scheduled by your representative without my confirmation. Service quality is very poor. Cannot reach customer care even after long wait.
Turning Rice Waste into 7100 Crore!
An Indian startup is replacing wood with rice husk.
It’s waterproof, termite-proof & eco-friendly.
For every 5,000 tons they produce, they save 20,000 trees.
Sustainable innovation = Smart business