| Good morning, It’s official! India will host the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030, with the Commonwealth Sport’s General Assembly formally awarding the rights to Ahmedabad. As host, India can propose up to two new or returning sports, and officials are expected to push for yoga, which is set to debut as a demonstration event at the 2026 Asian Games. The CWG may also see the return of Indian favourites missing from the 2026 lineup, such as badminton, hockey, wrestling, shooting and T20 cricket. Most importantly, India will look to move beyond the lingering impressions of the 2010 CWG, overshadowed by poor planning and corruption, especially as it pushes to host the 2036 Olympics. Indian officials insist, this time, they are “well-prepared” to deliver a controversy-free Games, reports Mihir Vasavda. On that note, let’s get to the rest of the edition👇 - In defence of Aravallis
- Congress’s Karnataka conundrum
- How to stop stubble burning, and more
🚨Big Story South Africa delivered a crushing blow to India, winning the second Test in Guwahati by a staggering 408 runs — India's heaviest ever defeat. SA won the series 2-0, marking their first series win in India in 25 years. India have now lost five of their last seven home fixtures, a streak last seen in 1959. But that's not all. This comes after a 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand last year. Before this, India had only lost a series at home in 2000. Fortress cracked: As Sriram Veera writes, beating India in Test cricket was once a career goal, the so-called ‘final frontier’, and now that dream is selling for free. The team is indeed in a transitional phase after the recent retirements of senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It's also a fact that while there's no dearth of gifted youngsters in domestic cricket, they are more suited to the shortest format, T20. The lack of skill and temperament was evident in Guwahati. Where the buck stops: As disappointment grows, Gautam Gambhir is facing intense scrutiny after India's three defeats under his leadership. At the post-match conference, Gambhir listed several reasons for the loss: a young team and scheduling issues. But critics have questioned his muddled team selection and choice of pitch. Should he continue as the head coach? When asked at the presser, Gambhir left it to the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) to decide. But the BCCI is in no mood for knee-jerk reactions, reports Devendra Pandey. Also read: South Africa’s role clarity, multiple heroes and simple plans trumped India’s muddled thinking and musical-chairs approach
⚡Only in Express Making a molehill out of a mountain? In November, the Supreme Court accepted the recommendations of a Union Environment Ministry panel on the definition of the Aravalli Hills. Any landform at an elevation of 100 m or more will now be considered the Aravalli Hills. But the definition is quite inadequate. An internal assessment shows that just 8.7% of the Hills (20m or higher) are 100m or more in height. Why is the definition important? Spread across Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan, these hills act as a wind barrier. For Delhi, that means protection of pollutants. With the current definition, a large part of this shield is at risk of being mined away. Read Jay Mazoomdaar’s report. On that note, also read how Delhi monitors its air quality, and why these monitors may falter at times. 🎧 For more on Delhi’s air quality, tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast, where we discuss a huge cause of pollution: vehicular emissions.
📰 From the Front Page Whose vote? The Supreme Court on Wednesday posed a pertinent question: Should an "intruder", issued an Aadhaar card to avail benefits, be made a voter? The Bench was hearing arguments on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Concern: Another bench of the Supreme Court red-flagged the "growing trend" in the top court of verdicts being overturned by succeeding benches or specially constituted benches at the behest of some aggrieved party. The bench said this would “undermine" the "court's authority". Read.
📌 Must Read Conundrum: Is Karnataka heading for a change of guard? Speculation is growing amid the power struggle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, D K Shivakumar, who insists he was promised a power-sharing formula. But replacing Siddaramaiah will be a balancing act for the Congress high command — between caste math (replacing an OBC may dent the party's social justice plank) and its plans for the 2028 Assembly polls. Women & work: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's return to power has cemented cash transfer schemes for women as the go-to political strategy for state-level polls. Under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, Rs 10,000 was deposited in the bank accounts of 75 lakh women in September, with a promise of additional support for those showing good progress in their area of employment. But cash transfers may not be enough. Siddharth Upasani explains why Bihar's women need a long-term plan.
⏳ And Finally... Change DIY: Preet Inder Pal Singh alias Mintu is a 36-year-old Canada-returned sarpanch of the Ransih Kalan village in Punjab's Moga district. He is gearing up for the "big day" when Union Minister of Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan will interact with local farmers. On agenda? How the village stopped burning stubble. The 3,000-odd residents did so by raising their own funds and changing years-old practices through cash incentives. That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow! Sonal Gupta | 
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