January 6, 2026 07:34 AM IST

First published on: Jan 6, 2026 at 06:42 AM IST

India joins the world’s exclusive Silicon Club, with the first indigenously developed process and plant going on stream later this month to produce the basic raw material needed for the country’s fast-growing electronic and solar power industries. This project is a unique example in India’s history of mission-oriented science that Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi called for in his recent address.

Sikh students’ agitation

Punjab will take strong steps to deal with any threat to law and order in the state. The Punjab Chief Minister, Surjit Singh Barnala, has called a meeting of senior officials of the state government dealing with law and order to review the situation in the light of the “Rasta Roko” call given by the All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) on January 10. Barnala arrived in New Delhi from Hyderabad after attending the Telugu Desam conclave. His Finance Minister, Balwant Singh, also arrived in New Delhi from Chandigarh.

Accord in danger

The new year has begun on a distressing note for both Punjab and Haryana, with the July Rajiv-Longowal accord in imminent danger of collapsing. Should that happen, the Akali ministry, which came to power less than four months ago, could well fall, thus giving a boost to Sikh extremists in the state.

Shriram mass layoffs

Shriram Foods and Fertilisers company intends to lay off more than 550 workers in its different units following the cancellation of its licence on December 24. More than 130 workers of the vanaspati unit, 111 workers of the superphosphate plant, 54 from the fabrication unit, 25 from the sulphuric add plant and 11 persons from the research and development unit are among those who are going to be laid off, according to a letter written by the company to the concerned authorities.