With municipal elections underway across Maharashtra, including the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, Aaj Tak will host ‘Mumbai Manthan’, a day-long political conclave on January 8, 2026.  The conclave will bring together leaders from across parties to discuss civic challenges, political equations, governance priorities, and development agendas shaping urban Maharashtra.   Participants include Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, Supriya Sule, Praful Patel, Varsha Gaikwad, Ashish Shelar, and Varun Sardesai, among others.  Business leaders Niranjan Hiranandani and Nilesh Shah, along with election analysts Sanjay Kumar, Pradeep Gupta, and Amitabh Tiwari, will add policy and data-driven perspectives. Through Mumbai Manthan, Aaj Tak aims to foster informed debate and civic engagement around Maharashtra’s urban future. 

The Mantralaya and Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh has announced its annual journalism honours, coinciding with Marathi Patrakar Din on January 6. The K P Samak Lifetime Achievement Award (2025) was conferred on veteran journalist Prakash Akolkar, recognising his decades of contribution to the profession. In the print media category, Ashok Adsul of Loksatta received the State‑level Excellence in Journalism Award, highlighting his impactful reporting in Maharashtra. In television journalism, Omkar Wable, Pune Bureau Chief of the India Today–Aaj Tak Group, was honoured with the State‑level Excellence Award. Balasaheb Patil of Agrowon received the Excellence Award reserved for association members, acknowledging his dedicated service and contributions to agricultural journalism. The awards underscore the importance of accurate, insightful, and ethical reporting, while celebrating the achievements of journalists across media platforms, Devdiscourse reported.

CPR Global has won the communications and public relations mandate for Neo Kavach, India’s first rider wearable airbag technology brand. Under the partnership, CPR Global will handle media relations, strategic communications and stakeholder engagement for Neo Kavach across India, as the company looks to build awareness around wearable airbag safety for motorcyclists. Announcing the partnership, Rajat Bhandari, Managing Director of Neo Kavach, said the company was looking for a communications partner that could help build awareness of a new safety category and strengthen its credibility. Chaitali Pishay Roy, Founder of CPR Global, said the agency was excited to work with a brand that is bringing global-level rider safety innovation to India and to help build a category-defining brand.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, Jan 6, said that journalist Mahesh Langa will remain on interim bail in a money laundering case, even as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the court that the trial has begun, The Hindu reported. The ED told the bench that the trial is expected to conclude within about three months and requested the next hearing to be scheduled after that period. The court agreed. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Langa, said his client is cooperating with the proceedings and that witnesses have already been examined. The Chief Justice directed Langa to continue cooperating, noting that the case would be over soon. The court recalled that it had earlier granted bail after reviewing the matter and ordered that the interim bail should continue. On December 15, the Supreme Court had granted Langa interim bail and instructed the trial court to conduct daily hearings, while directing both Langa and the ED to cooperate and avoid delays. The case stems from

Senior Urdu journalist M.A. Raheem passed away on Tuesday, Jan 6, after a brief illness, leaving behind a rich legacy in journalism. Known for his decades-long contribution to the field, Raheem was widely respected as an industry veteran and the most credible voice in Urdu journalism. His death has been mourned as a significant loss to the journalist community. Over the course of his career, Raheem worked with several leading publications including The Siasat Daily, Munsif, Rashtriya Sahara, Etemaad, and other Urdu newspapers in the city, Telangana Today reported.

Image source: Scroll and India Today; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   Here’s the thing. Two recent visuals from Indian states have unsettled the media ecosystem not because they expose corruption in the classic sense, but because they force an uncomfortable conversation about dignity, dependence and where professional lines quietly blur. In Madhya Pradesh, ministers marking two years of the BJP-led government held press conferences to present their governance “report cards.” What dominated public attention, however, were viral videos of journalists jostling and scrambling for gift bags at these events. The contents of the bags were never officially disclosed. But the optics were loud enough. Instead of adversarial questioning, the frame shifted to spectacle, raising questions about whether accountability had momentarily ceded space to entitlement or exhaustion. Social media criticism followed swiftly, not directed at one reporter, but at a system that seems increas

Senior journalist and social activist Jitu Sharma Rajkhowa was honoured with the Nirantaram Samuddharta award in Bokakhat on Saturday, coinciding with his 60th birthday.   The honour was jointly conferred by nine literary, cultural, and social organisations in recognition of his long-standing contributions to journalism and community welfare.  The felicitation ceremony was organised by the Assam Satra Mahasabha’s Bokakhat District Committee along with several local bodies. Former MLA Jiten Gogoi and Bokakhat MLA and Cabinet Minister Atul Bora attended the event and extended their greetings, The Sentinel reported.  Accepting the honour, Rajkhowa said the recognition would motivate him to continue his work for the betterment of society. The event also featured cultural performances organised by the Bokakhat Artistes’ Society.