Find government schemes and updates

LPG users should note that cooking gas prices will change from August 1, 2026. Indian Oil, HPCL and BPCL update rates for 5 kg, 10 kg, 14.2 kg and 19 kg cylinders on the first day of each month.

This update brings changes for Indane Gas, HP Gas and Bharat Gas connections, booking gaps and switching to PNG. Households must remember these rules before booking their next cylinder.

Check the new price list from your distributor before placing an order. Plan your booking so you are ready.

Odisha Cabinet approved PMAY-(U) BANDHU, a state-funded scheme to support the central PMAY-U 2.0 program. This decision was made on August 1, 2026, with a budget of ₹1,615 crore.

The scheme will help provide permanent homes to all eligible urban families by 2029. Odisha expects urban housing coverage to grow from 59 per cent in 2024 to 90 per cent by 2029. This is a large increase. The state intends to help between 3 lakh and 3.5 lakh extra urban households between 2025 and 2030.

Scheme Expansion Details

PMAY-U 2.0 is active across all 115 urban local bodies. It will now expand to

Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo led the 19th J&K Union Territory Level Bankers' Committee meeting at SKICC, Srinagar, on August 1, 2026. Banks in J&K gave out loans worth ₹84,384 crore to 19.37 lakh people during the 2025-26 financial year. This reached 108% of their yearly goal.

Banking performance and goals

Priority sector lending reached ₹44,228.30 crore. J&K Bank provided 63.41% of this total. The Chief Secretary noted this result but pointed out that the Credit-Deposit ratio is 61%. This is lower than the national average of 81%. He asked banks to make a plan to improve this ratio and open more branches in rural areas over the next year.

Officials also expressed concern about low numbers in education and housing loans. Banks should take a more active role in farm lending. The UT also needs more people to sign up for Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana.

Grant Medical College and Sir J. J. Hospital in Mumbai performed its first Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) under Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY). Doctors completed the surgery on August 1, 2026, for a 63-year-old patient from Jalna.

The patient belongs to a poor family. He suffered from severe aortic valve narrowing and complex heart artery disease. He previously had bypass surgery and several angioplasties, which made open-heart surgery very risky for him.

A specialized heart team of cardiologists and surgeons decided TAVI was the safest choice. Doctors first performed a coronary angioplasty to clear blood flow before replacing the damaged valve. The patient is stable and recovering well.

Surgery under MJPJAY

This is the first TAVI completed at JJ Hospital through MJPJAY. The scheme covered all treatment costs, so money problems did not block life-saving care. These procedures usually cost a lot and are only found in select private hospitals.

Hospital leaders called this a big step for advanced heart care in government hospitals. Dean Dr Ajay Bhandarwar, Associate Dean Dr Ranjeet Mankeshwar, and Medical Superintendent Dr Sanjay Surase oversaw the work. Dr Ajay Mahajan led the procedure, supported by Dr Kalyan Munde, Head of Cardiology, Dr Samkit Mutha, the Cardiology team, the CVTS Department, and the Anaesthesiology Department.

Odisha Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra visited Dhenkanal district on Saturday, 01 August 2026. He checked the status of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and found that many eligible families were missing from the list.

This happened in Gahamakhunti village, part of Kaimati Gram Panchayat in Dhenkanal Sadar block. Local residents reported that many needy families were left out. The Minister visited to verify these claims and spoke with the villagers.

Official Action Taken

Minister Patra questioned the local officials about these exclusions. He noted that there is no set limit for the number of eligible people who can receive PMAY support. He warned Block Development Officer Rahul Mandal and Panchayat Executive Officer Swarna Prabha Sahu that they face strict action, including being transferred. He also asked why the selection process was allegedly influenced by local politics.

The Minister promised to look into the complaints and ensure fair results. He stated that poor families deserve to receive PMAY benefits as intended.

Delhi Government opened online registration for Delhi Lakshmi Yojana. Within 12 hours, 33,000 women signed up, and 1,940 applications were submitted.

Scheme Details

Eligible women get ₹2,500 every month. The 2026-27 Delhi budget set aside ₹5,110 crore for this. Registration started on 1 August 2026. This move helps women in Delhi.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced on Saturday that 5 lakh more women signed up for Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana last week. The total number of registered women is now 73.5 lakh.

Women in the general category get ₹1,000 every month through this scheme. Women from Scheduled Caste families receive ₹1,500. On August 1, 2026, the state government sent payments to 35.5 lakh women. This brought the number of people getting benefits to 68.5 lakh. Many women received ₹3,000 or ₹4,500, covering three months of payments at once.

Payment details and eligibility

Mann stated that every eligible woman will receive benefits starting from July 1, 2026, even if she registers after this date. Money is sent directly to bank accounts. Women who already get social security pensions can also apply. About 97 per cent of women in Punjab should receive support. The government set aside ₹9,300 crore for this budget.

The scheme is meant to give women dignity and support. It serves as a way to help women across the state become more financially independent.

GeM Foundation Day celebrations started on Friday, August 1, 2026, with the launch of a special logo. This kicks off a 10-day programme leading up to the 10th Foundation Day of Government e Marketplace (GeM). The logo represents a decade of clear, tech-based, and inclusive public buying. A film showing the platform's growth and future goals was also shown.

GeM CEO Mihir Kumar reviewed the progress of the organization. He outlined plans to help innovation and focus on buyers and sellers. The event included the release of the latest GeM Bharti, the in-house Hindi magazine. Long-serving employees and those with big contributions were also honored.

Upcoming Events and Outreach

As part of the celebrations, a Buyer Meet is set for August 5 and a Seller Roundtable on August 10. The programme will end with the 10th Foundation Day celebrations. GeM will honor top buyers and sellers for their work in building the digital procurement system.

The launch starts a year-long outreach campaign across the country. Through events and discussions, GeM will bring together buyers, sellers, policymakers, and industry partners. This helps promote clear and efficient public buying for everyone.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann released the second payment for Mawan-Dhiyan Satkar Yojana on August 1, 2026. Money was sent to 40 lakh women, and the total count of eligible people is now 68.5 lakh. Watch video

Arvind Kejriwal announced a march to PM Modi's home on August 4 regarding the E20 policy. He plans to take 100 people who are not afraid of police action or jail. Read more

Important updates

Here are other developments:

• Four DSPs were moved to new posts.
• Congress suspended MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur.
• SGPC asked the Centre to open the Kartarpur corridor again.
• Preeti Pawar won India's first boxing gold at the 2026 CWG.
• The 5-year extension of PM-KISAN received praise.
• Punjab paid for cashless treatment for 708 lung cancer patients under Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana.

Social Welfare Department of Nagaland held a review meeting and training for supervisors on July 31 at Capital Convention Centre, Kohima. This event aimed to fix issues in management, improve monitoring, and make service delivery better for welfare schemes.

Training for supervisors

Director Toshili Zhimomi talked about the need for good supervision, correct data, reports on time, and punctuality. She asked for better teamwork between supervisors and clear communication with senior officers and district staff. Secretary Limawabang Jamir told supervisors to find problems in their work, improve coordination, and guide Anganwadi workers, who he called the department's frontline staff.

The training sessions focused on Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), and other schemes under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Officials also talked about how to use the Poshan Tracker, Pankhuti Portal, and iGOT Karmayogi Portal.

Gujarat increased money help for rural homeless families who get free residential plots. Support for leveling a plot is now ₹5,000, up from ₹1,000. For uneven or hilly land, the help jumped from ₹50,000 per hectare to ₹2 lakh per hectare.

Panchayat, Rural Housing and Rural Development Department issued a notice on July 17 about these changes. Minister Rushikesh Patel and Minister of State Sanjaysinh Mahida guided this move. Bhupendra Patel government says this helps make plots ready for building and lowers costs for families.

Revised support for rural housing

For years, Gujarat has given 100 square yard residential plots to rural homeless families for free. The higher support should help speed up house building, especially in villages with hilly land. This helps the Housing for All goal and supports the poorest families.

State officials expect better rural housing and planned village growth. This change removes a big problem in rural home building, which is the high cost of preparing land.