Here is the information about the top national, sports & World news of July 17, 2025 in detail.
National News :
- Rahul Gandhi pushes for J&K statehood in letter to PM ahead of Monsoon Session of Parliament. Rahul Gandhi, along with Mallikarjun Kharge, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the government to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The letter was sent on July 16, 2025, ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which begins on Monday.
The letter and related reports include:
- The letter states that the downgrade of J&K to a Union Territory is unprecedented in independent India.
- It emphasizes that the demand for statehood from the people of Jammu and Kashmir is legitimate and constitutional.
- The letter reminds the Prime Minister of his previous commitments to restoring statehood.
- The Congress leaders also urged the government to include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution through legislation. This would address the aspirations and safeguard the rights, land, and identity of the people of Ladakh.
- Congress seeks Odisha CM’s resignation over college student’s death. The Congress party, along with seven other opposition parties in Odisha, called for and observed a 12-hour statewide bandh (shutdown) demanding the resignation of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
This action comes in the wake of the death of a 20-year-old college student in Balasore who died by self-immolation after alleging inaction on her complaint of sexual harassment by a professor. The student, Soumyashree Bisi of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College, succumbed to her injuries at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar on July 14th. She had set herself on fire on the college campus on July 12th.
The opposition parties, including the Congress, are holding the state government accountable for the alleged failure of the system to address the student’s complaints, demanding justice and stricter action against those responsible. They also seek a judicial inquiry into the matter.
The bandh led to a partial disruption of normal life across the state, with protests, road blockades, and commercial establishments remaining closed in many areas, including Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj. Bus services and traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata Highway were affected.
- Cabinet clears PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana with annual outlay of Rs 24,000 cr. Union Cabinet approved the Prime Minister Dhan–Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) with an annual outlay of ₹24,000 crore for six years, aiming to uplift agricultural infrastructure and productivity in 100 identified districts across India. The scheme targets around 1.7 crore farmers, focusing on improving irrigation, promoting sustainable farming, enhancing post-harvest storage, and facilitating better credit flow. It will integrate 36 existing schemes across 11 ministries, ensuring convergence and localized planning through district-level committees. Monitored through a digital dashboard with 117 key indicators, PMDDKY is modeled after the Aspirational Districts Programme and is set to launch by October 2025, with district selection to be finalized by July-end.
- Mamata Banerjee leads protest in Kolkata over ‘harassment’ of Bengali-speaking people in other states. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a massive rally in Kolkata—from College Square to Dorina Crossing—to condemn what she described as the harassment and illegal detention of Bengali‑speaking people in BJP‑ruled states. She accused states like Odisha, Maharashtra, Delhi and Assam of targeting Bengali speakers—many with valid Indian IDs—by labeling them “Bangladeshi” or “Rohingya,” detaining them, and even pushing them out, asserting such actions were “more dangerous than Emergency”. Banerjee spoke emotionally about the plight of around 2.2 million migrant workers from Bengal, daring the Centre—“detain me, if you can”—and vowing to respond politically (“inch by inch” resistance) if the alleged targeting persisted. TMC leaders framed the demonstration as a defense of “Bengali Asmita” (identity), warning of electoral consequences, while the BJP denied the claims, accusing Mamata of politicizing immigration and “protecting illegal immigrants”
- India tells Dhaka to reconsider demolition of Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home, offers help to repair. the Indian government urged Bangladesh to reconsider the demolition of the ancestral home of Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury—grandfather of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray—located in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. The Ministry of External Affairs expressed “profound regret” over the planned demolition of the century-old building and offered technical and financial assistance to restore it as a museum celebrating shared Bengali cultural heritage. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also appealed to both the governments of India and Bangladesh, highlighting the site’s deep cultural significance and calling for preservation . In response, Bangladesh authorities halted the demolition and constituted a committee to explore reconstruction and potential conversion of the structure into a literary museum.
- A rare 1931 oil portrait of Mahatma Gandhi—painted by British artist Clare Leighton during Gandhi’s visit to London for the Second Round Table Conference and believed to be the only oil painting for which he personally sat—was sold at Bonhams on July 15, 2025, fetching £152,800 (approximately ₹1.67 crore) in an online auction. The piece dramatically surpassed its pre‑sale estimate of £50,000–70,000. The portrait holds historical significance, having remained in Leighton’s private collection until her death in 1989, survived a knife attack in 1974, and featured a letter from Gandhi’s secretary Mahadev Desai affixed to its backing.
- CBSE has issued new guidelines to promote healthier habits among students, emphasizing both diet and physical activity. Schools under its affiliation are now required to install “Oil Boards”—visual displays (posters or digital screens) in common areas like cafeterias and lobbies—that warn about the dangers of excessive oil consumption. CBSE directs schools to install ‘Oil board’, promote healthy meals.
- Govt caps prices of 71 key drugs including those for cancer, period pain & diabetes.
On July 17, 2025, the Indian government announced through the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) that the prices of 71 essential drug formulations have been capped under the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013—covering medicines for cancer (like trastuzumab), diabetes, period pain, peptic ulcers, infections, and more. Notable price caps include:
- Trastuzumab (anti-cancer): ₹11,966 per vial.
- Mefenamic acid suspension (period pain): ₹0.94 per ml.
- Empagliflozin-containing anti-diabetic combinations: ₹14–₹31 per tablet.
- Clarithromycin + esomeprazole + amoxicillin (peptic ulcer kit): ₹162.5 per tablet.
- Ceftriaxone-based infection treatments: ₹515–₹1,036 per vial.
