Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi has reasons to be worried. Despite a record-breaking state budget allocation of Rs 3.10 lakh crore, Odisha government has made a poor show so far. This is because Odisha’s inability to spend allocated funds.  Odisha state has spent only 8.8% of its fund so far, thereby exposing the state government’s weakness and slow-paced administration,” say government sources. Reasons for these lapses are many – such as bureaucratic delays, prolonged bidding and tendering processes, lack of trained personnel, need for multiple clearance level and slow speed of action to settle lingering issues. Reportedly, Odisha’s 16 key departments are lagging in spending target. The new rumour is 10 out of 44 departments are not in a position to utilise 60% of their allocated funds so far. Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg has however urged key stakeholders to accelerate government projects. All these shows the BJP-run state government in bad light. Majhi needs to set up a war room to keenly monitor all government projects.

In a stunning case of reel life turning eerily prophetic, the Delhi High Court’s July 10, 2026 verdict upholding Rajpal Yadav’s conviction in a Rs 5 crore cheque-bounce scandal has thrown a harsh spotlight on how his 2012 directorial debut Ata Pata Laapata uncannily predicted his own downfall. Convicted in seven cases but with jail reduced to three months, the actor now faces massive compensation orders; a real-world echo of the film’s satirical chaos. In the film, Yadav’s protagonist sees his house mysteriously vanish and turns to the law for justice, only to become the prime suspect in a web of bureaucracy, corruption, and twisted justice. The bold satire mercilessly lampoons a system that punishes the victim. It was Yadav’s passionate directorial debut, conceived in 2005 amid industry recession and strikes, produced by his wife Radha under their family banner with a massive ensemble cast and heavy personal investment. Yadav secured bank loans for the Rs 20 crore project. In 2010, businessman Madhav Gopal invested Rs 5 crore with repayment agreements in place. However, after a heated argument following the 2011 music launch, Gopal allegedly obtained a pre-release stay order, publicly accused Yadav of fraud, and sabotaged the November 2, 2012 release. Despite over 1,000 screens booked, the film vanished from theatres within days; mirroring the protagonist’s missing house and flopped commercially. Post-dated cheques bounced amid the chaos, dragging Yadav into the very legal ordeal he had mocked on screen. While reducing the latest sentence, the court criticised his conduct, noting the law cannot be “rewritten at the will of an actor.” Yadav claims the investor’s rage destroyed not just his dream but endangered artistes and massive finances. As he eyes an appeal, this prophetic saga blurs fiction and harsh Bollywood reality in the most scandalous way.

The first poster of Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story, unveiled on Ganguly’s 54th birthday, recreates his iconic 2002 shirt-waving moment at Lord’s with Rajkummar Rao topless and jersey in hand. Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane for a May 14, 2027 release, the image evokes nostalgia but appears static and restrained, lacking the high-energy drama needed for a mass-appeal cricket biopic. Rajkummar Rao’s recent filmography underscores the risk. While Stree 2 delivered an all-time blockbuster, several projects faltered: Bheed was a major disaster with netting just Rs 2 crore; Mr & Mrs Mahi managed modest numbers around Rs 7 crore; Srikanth crossed Rs 60 crore worldwide but remained a middling performer relative to budget and expectations. Other efforts like Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video were below average, highlighting inconsistent solo draws despite critical acclaim. Motwane’s own track record adds caution. Films like Bhavesh Joshi Superhero and Lootera earned praise but struggled commercially, while even acclaimed works such as Udaan and Trapped relied more on niche appeal than broad box-office success. Cricket biopics have a dismal history. Azhar flopped commercially, and 83 with Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev, underperformed domestically due to costs and timing. Ganguly’s tale of aggressive leadership and controversies holds promise, yet biopics frequently face challenges with pacing, dramatization, and audience fatigue. Early signals for Dada suggest a dignified but visually subdued start that may not spark immediate excitement. With Luv Films producing, the team has time for strong marketing, but history indicates star power and nostalgia rarely suffice to overcome the sub-genres curse. Execution will be decisive.

The century-old Chennai-based Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd (KICL), a listed company, is making waves in the footwear sector. Ever since the Chairman Dr J Rafiq Ahmed entered the scene, KICL has heavily diversified beyond its traditional agriculture and fertilizer roots into drones, geospatial services and footwear. KICL’s transformation is becoming most visible in the footwear space. Recently, KICL’s associate, Phoenix Kothari Footwear, tied-up with Taiwan’s Evervan Group, one of the world’s largest contract footwear makers, to manufacture Adidas shoes in Karur, Tamil Nadu. The Karur plant, second phase, is being set up at a cost of Rs 1,700 crore and expected to generate 13,500 jobs. It is learnt that over five years the JV is expected to invest $1 billion across the country to produce 100 million pairs of Adidas shoes and generate 50,000 jobs. Interestingly, the second phase of Karur plant’s ground breaking ceremony was done by Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay. It may be mentioned that KICL is not content with being only a contract manufacturer. Some time back, it secured a 30-year license to market the iconic French footwear brand Kickers across India and several neighbouring markets. The company, it is learnt, is now negotiating to acquire the brand’s intellectual property, which would allow production to shift from China to India and give KICL ownership of an established international footwear label. The Indian footwear market is estimated at around Rs 1.2 lakh crore and is growing at roughly 7-8% annually. Premium footwear is expanding even faster, at 12-18%, driven by young consumers and rising disposable incomes.

After two years of keeping low profile, Odisha’s most powerful ex-bureaucrat and Biju Janata Dal leader V K Pandian is making waves beyond Indian shores. Reportedly, Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez who just experienced two devastating earthquake asked Pandian to fly to Venezula to seek his expertise on how to handle natural disasters. Venezuela President had two objectives to learn from Odisha’s playbook: One, how Pandian — one of the architects of Odisha’s disaster management — handled the cyclone and disaster response protocols had zero casualty and lessons for her country from Odisha.  Sources say, Pandian used this visit to raise his personal profile. Pandian’s supporters are looking at this development as a “proud moment of knowledge sharing for India on the global stage.” The net takeaway from Odisha is that people are comparing Naveen Patnaik’s governance style with that of the current chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi.    

BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde’s sudden stay in Maharashtra and his meetings with some influential Opposition leaders have heightened the already thick suspense in the state’s politics. Once again, veteran Sharad Pawar continues to be the focus of the intrigue while a couple of senior BJP leaders from Maharashtra are reported to be spending sleepless nights, not knowing what turn their fate is going to take. Tawde self-invited him to the residence of his former mentor Eknath Khadse, who is now with the NCP led by Pawar. Incidentally, Khadse’s daughter-in-law Raksha is Union minister of state while the other daughter-in-law is with Pawar’s party. Tawde’s ‘courtesy’ call on Khadse holds potential to shake north Maharashtra scenario. Tawde also called on Pawar’s trusted lieutenant Jayant Patil, who is tipped to be joining the NDA fold, albeit with Pawar’s tacit blessings. Patil’s name is being mentioned for the post of Maharashtra finance minister. It was earlier held by the late deputy CM Ajit Pawar. One of Pawar’s close associates is learnt to have been entrusted with the task of liaising with the party legislators and parliament members. The NCP’s onslaught against the BJP is somewhat softer over the past few days. Thus, if the pieces fall in place, Pawar’s 10 Lok Sabha members will be a great gift for the BJP. Moreover, it will be a demoralising blow for the Congress in particular and the INDIA Bloc in general.

It seems there is no respite for Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray from the continuous shocks administered by the ruling Mahayuti since whispers about another split taking place in his ramshackle party are only growing. Thackeray’s bete noire Eknath Shinde is said to be behind such moves since chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has declared in unequivocal terms that the doors of the BJP are closed for newcomers. True that it is a political announcement and can be used the way the leaders wish, Shinde has been going ahead unobstructed. The latest entrant into the game is former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who has publicly stated that half a dozen Lok Sabha members of Sharad Pawar’s party are feeling ‘uneasy’ in the present situation. This means that they can desert the NCP(SP) any time to join the NDA. All these developments are going to weaken the Opposition in Maharashtra even if such defections do not happen forthwith. The casualty will be the Shiv Sena of Uddhav since he was projected as the main Opposition leader and face of the INDIA Bloc after its fabulous victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Sadly for him, the graph of his party is only sliding. Not content with eyeing Uddhav’s legislative win, Shinde is said to be exploring the potential of poaching the Sena’s civic wing. As over 60 corporators under Uddhav were elected to the Mumbai municipal corporation, the hopes of his followers were rekindled. However, the contrary is happening. As a result, Uddhav is an embattled leader right now, with no immediate prospect seen to revive his prospects.    

Will Prashant Kishor succeed this time? The by-election for Bihar’s Bankipur Assembly seat is scheduled for July 30. The seat fell vacant after Nitin Nabin resigned as MLA following, first, his elevation as the BJP National President, and then his subsequent election to the Rajya Sabha. Ordinarily, this may have been treated as a routine vacancy in a safe seat. Jan Suraaj’s Prashant Kishor has announced that he will contest from here, marking his first entry into the electoral contests. The BJP had initially named Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) state vice-president Abhishek Kumar as its candidate. Unfortunately, just days ahead of filing of nominations, BJP had to change its candidate; Neeraj Kumar Sinha replaces Abhishek Kumar who bowed out of the race citing “family reasons”.  These developments pleased Prashant Kishor who said, “This demonstrates that no Assembly or Lok Sabha constituency is anyone’s stronghold or personal fiefdom. If the public rises, even the most prominent leaders can be made to sweat.” Regarding Bankipur, he conceded that until recently, BJP leaders boasted that their fortress was so strong that even if they fielded a dog or a cat, the public would vote for them…” Today, it appears that their own candidate has stepped away. “When the results are declared on the 3rd, a full reckoning will take place,” said Kishor. Bankipur is one of Patna’s most talked-about VIP urban areas. It is part of the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, represented by BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad. It is a seat dominated by the influential Kayastha electorate. With his entry, Kishor is seeking to make the bypoll a referendum on the NDA government in Bihar. A non-Kayastha, Kishor has opted for an intensive door-to-door campaign and neighbourhood meetings instead of large public rallies. He belongs to the Bhumihar community.

The Modi government may be relieved that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Canadian government has not named any political leader or a senior police official for the killing of some Khalistani separatist leaders. However, the U.S. Department of  Justice(DOJ)’s indictment of the laxity in Indian jails that allows criminals to get out and pose a threat to the outside world and extort money is not flattering . In fact, it raises the extent of complicity between our jail authorities and criminals lodged in their custody. The FBI launched a sweeping crackdown named ‘Operation Hard Ball’ against jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his close aide Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar. Bishnoi is lodged in Sabarmati jail, Gujarat. It took the FBI a year-long investigation targeting criminal syndicates involved in murder, extortion, drug trafficking and other organised crime activities in the U.S., Canada and Europe. In all, 24 criminals have been arrested in the US, Canada and Europe. The U.S. (DOJ) said that searches were conducted at more than 50 locations. One of the three federal indictments focuses on Bishnoi whom U.S. prosecutors allege directed a global criminal enterprise from a prison in India. Bishnoi and Brar ordered the assassination of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023. U.S. prosecutors also named Bishnoi’s key associates Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara. They said that while Brar looked after North America operations, Godara oversaw operations in Europe. The FBI has declared a $50,000 bounty for the arrest of Goldy Brar. The FBI probe also found collusion between some Punjab police officers and the gangs. The FBI has made Gurinderjit Singh Nagra, SHO of Tanda police station in Hoshiarpur, an accused, and his extradition has been sought.

Has West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari decided to copy UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s style? The prime accused in Bengal’s Baruipur rape-murder case, Prabhas Mondal, was shot dead in a police encounter during crime scene reconstruction. Mondal, along with his friends, had raped and killed a 12-year-old girl and thrown her body in a pond.  Mondal’s mother refused to take his body, saying he had shamed the family. But, not surprisingly, political parties like the Samajwadi Party in UP, Trinamool Congress leaders criticised the police encounter, saying it seems to be the beginning of a new type of “goonda raj”. TMC MP Mohua Moitra alleged “this is jungle law” on social media. She wrote, “Bengalis, please welcome new Bengal – Uttar Pradesh 2.0”. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee took out a protest march in Kolkata, and people threw eggs amidst shouts of ‘chor, chor ‘.  By raising questions about this encounter, Trinamool Congress leaders have invited trouble. Bengal BJP leaders are now listing out cases of rape and murders during Didi’s rule, when rapists were shielded by police and in the RG Kar Hospital rape-murder case, all evidence of the heinous act was washed away, a few hours after the act. CM Suvendu Adhikari has apparently given the police a free hand. Clearly, Adhikari is following Yogi Adityanath’s model. His supporters say, “No state can progress unless criminals fear police. No investor will go to a state where crime and extortion are rampant. In Bengal, there was ‘goonda raj’ during Mamata Banerjee’s rule; its roots were quite deep, killers and rapists were getting police protection. There is a clear change in the situation now. Naturally, Mamata will not like this.”