Tamil Nadu is considering adding non-vegetarian options, including chicken biryani, to its school meal programme. School Education Minister A. Rajmohan said a special committee has been formed to explore more diverse and appealing menus. He questioned why schoolchildren should not receive chicken biryani when it is served to prisoners. However, the proposal would require a pilot project and rigorous testing to ensure hygiene and food-safety standards. The expanded Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme is set to cover classes 6–8 from September 22, benefiting about 15.3 lakh additional students. The government has allocated ₹217.63 crore for the expansion. (PC: PTI)

A second-year BTech student of IIT Bombay died by suicide on September 18 after being found using a mobile phone during an examination. According to IIT Bombay, the student had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers. The institute said no disciplinary action had been initiated and that the instructor and Head of Department counselled him, assuring him that the incident would not affect his academic career. He later returned to his hostel room, where he was found dead. Police are investigating the circumstances. The incident triggered a student protest and marks the third reported campus suicide in seven months.

The Supreme Court on September 18 indicated that Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe would inspect the National Testing Agency’s newly upgraded office at Minto Road, New Delhi, amid concerns over NEET-UG paper leaks. The bench said temporary measures would not be sufficient and stressed the need for permanent systems, staff and institutional structures to protect examination integrity. The court also directed a Union Education Ministry joint secretary associated with the Nandan Nilekani-led task force to submit an affidavit within two weeks detailing reforms and their implementation. The Nilekani panel is expected to submit an interim report by the end of September. (PC: X)

A second-year undergraduate student of Energy Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay allegedly died by suicide on Friday, September 18, making it the third reported student death on the Powai campus this year. According to student accounts, the incident followed an examination in which the student was allegedly caught using another student’s answer sheet and was told he could face disciplinary action. IIT Bombay disputed this account, stating that he was found using a mobile phone and had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT for answers. The institute said no disciplinary action had begun and that the student had been counselled. (PC: HT)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Sukriti Foods promoter Kailash Chand Mangla in connection with the alleged adulteration of ghee supplied to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) for Tirupati Laddu prasadam. Mangla was arrested on September 17 and later sent to judicial custody by a special PMLA court in Visakhapatnam. According to the ED, the allegedly adulterated ghee was made using refined palm oil, palm kernel oil, palmolein and chemicals, and supplied as Agmark Special Grade cow ghee. The agency estimates alleged fraudulent supplies to TTD during 2019–2024 at ₹230 crore, including ₹96 crore allegedly manufactured by Mangla. (PC: India Today)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will launch the Thaimaaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam, or Maternal Uncle Gold Ring Scheme, on September 28, 2026. The one-gram gold ring programme is a key pre-poll promise of the ruling TVK. Babies born in government hospitals between June 22, Vijay’s birthday, and the launch date will also qualify. The TVK government has procured 1.28 lakh gold rings for the first installment, with rings distributed to babies born in state-run hospitals. The state government announced the scheme on Friday. The chief minister is scheduled to launch it on September 28. The article provides no further details about the distribution process or eligibility beyond these conditions.

Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration suspended the licence of Olympia Coffee House, a 108-year-old Irani cafe in Colaba, after a September 16 inspection triggered by a customer complaint found hygiene violations. Inspectors reportedly found a urinal inside the food storage area, meat and blood residues in a refrigerator, cockroach and fly infestation, improper segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian items, food handled directly on the floor, and unclean preparation water. Chopping boards and missing protective clothing among staff were also noted. Under Section 32(3) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the cafe must stop food-related operations until deficiencies are fixed and clears re-inspection. Hollywood stars visited two months earlier.

India-born female cheetah KGP12 gave birth to four cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on September 18, marking a significant milestone for Project Cheetah. KGP12 is the second India-born female cheetah to give birth at Kuno. With the latest births, the number of cheetahs born and surviving in India has increased to 36, while the total cheetah population in the country has risen from 52 to 56. Kuno now has 53 cheetahs, while three are at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. The development comes a day after Project Cheetah completed four years. 

India’s Project Cheetah has completed four years, with the country’s cheetah population reaching 52, including 32 cubs born in India since the programme began in 2022. The initiative started with eight cheetahs brought from Namibia and later expanded through arrivals from South Africa and Botswana. Currently, 49 cheetahs are in Kuno National Park and three in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, both in Madhya Pradesh. Officials said the programme has progressed from reintroduction and breeding to releasing cheetahs into open forests and establishing breeding females. The next phase focuses on expanding suitable habitats and creating a long-term cheetah meta-population across India. (PC: ET)

Gurugram court on Friday sent hit-and-run accused Kalyan Singh Bainsla and his cousin Lavnish to 14 days of judicial custody after their two-day police custody ended. The two were arrested in Rajasthan following a viral video showing a car allegedly hitting woman biker Shivani Chauhan, known as Sia, on Golf Course Road. Police had earlier added an attempt-to-murder charge to the case after examining the video. Investigators are also seeking CCTV footage from Empire Club, which the accused reportedly visited before the incident, and questioning two other people allegedly present in the vehicle. The next court hearing is scheduled for October 1.