Mumbai, August 17: In today’s significant news, Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated development projects worth ₹6,262 crore in Alwar, Rajasthan, on August 16. This initiative is part of the central government’s vision of ‘prosperity through cooperation,’ aimed at promoting the cooperative sector and dairy development. Shah laid the foundation stone for a new dairy plant at the Alwar Sarso Dairy Complex and e-inaugurated dairy processing plants and animal feed units linked to 17 districts in Rajasthan. The program aims to strengthen cooperative institutions and enhance farmers’ income and the rural economy. During the event, Shah also announced the formation of new central cooperative banks and transferred funds to beneficiaries of various welfare schemes through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
In sports, World No. 1 chess player Magnus Carlsen from Norway secured the EWC Esports World Chess Cup title for the second consecutive time on August 15. Carlsen defeated Belarusian Grandmaster Denis Lazavik 2-0 in the finals, winning both sets with a score of 3-1. He remained undefeated throughout the tournament and received a prize money of $250,000. The EWC 2026 chess event was held in Paris from August 11 to 15, marking the second inclusion of chess in the EWC, which began in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2025.
Additionally, on August 16, the Amrit Udyan, formerly known as Mughal Garden, was reopened to the public at the President’s House. Known for its unique and rare flower species and stunning Mughal-style gardening, the garden will remain open until September 15, 2026, as part of the Summer Festival. The garden features a floral clock and a children’s area with a 225-year-old Shisham tree, designed for entertainment and education.
In other news, on August 15, SpaceX set a new world record by launching two Falcon 9 rockets for separate missions with only a 38-minute gap between them. The first launch took place from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, sending eight satellites into orbit as part of the Globalstar 2-R mission. The second launch occurred from a California Space Force base for the US Space Force’s USSF-36 mission.