NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Thursday afternoon amid disruptions as the members of the treasury and opposition benches traded charges over a no-trust motion brought against Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and the BJP's allegations of the Congress leadership's "links" with billionaire investor George Soros. The Upper House has been witnessing a ruckus as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been alleging links between the Congress and Soros, and has also slam...Read More
Jorhat: In a region often fraught with human-elephant conflicts, an extraordinary act of compassion unfolded in Assam's Jorhat district. Villagers from the Chamguri Khmzangia area in the Titabar sub-division united to rescue a mother elephant and her four calves trapped in a deep, muddy pond. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening when the elephants, part of a 60-member herd from the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, ventured into the area in search of food. While foraging, the mother and calves b...Read More
Hyderabad: The Telangana Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) in the Irrigation Department here, for allegedly amassing over Rs 100 crore as proceeds of corruption in ten years of service. The officer is accused of misusing his position to facilitate illegal constructions in water bodies and buffer zones. ACB, according to officials, recently raided Nikesh Kumar and his associates' properties, uncovering assets including 1.5 kilograms of gold ornaments...Read More
Kottayam: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Kerala and Tamil Nadu have always supported each other, establishing a model of cooperative federalism. He said that when rights of states are being encroached upon, such cooperation should be extended among others. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Vijayan inaugurated the Thanthai Periyar Memorial and Library in Vaikom in Kerala on Thursday, marking a significant occasion in the commemoration of the legacy of social reformer Periyar E.V. Ram...Read More
New Delhi: Delhi government cabinet on Thursday gave its nod to the cash assistance scheme for women, Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, ahead of the Delhi Assembly Elections scheduled for next year. The announcement was made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, Arvind Kejriwal, in the presence of Chief Minister Atishi and other women legislators. The scheme was part of the Delhi government budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. It had a proposed allocation of Rs 2,000 crore and was proposed by Kej...Read More
New Delhi [India], December 12 (ANI): Congress MP Jairam Ramesh has demanded that the proposed 'One Nation, One Election' bill be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, asserting that the bill undermines democracy. "The bill will be presented in Parliament, and we want it to be referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which will hold discussions on it. The Indian National Congress's position was clarified last year by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who sent a four-page letter to fo...Read More
New Delhi: Trinamool Congress on Thursday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak in Parliament on situation in neighbouring Bangladesh. The issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha in the post-lunch sitting by TMC's Parliamentary Party leader Derek O'Brien, who sought permission to raise a point of order. He quoted Rule 251, and said he wanted the Prime Minister to come and give a statement on Bangladesh issue. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar however said it is not a point of order, and did no...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) With EV sales reaching 1.2 million and achieving 5 per cent market penetration in FY24, the shift toward electric mobility is rapidly gaining momentum in India, a report said on Thursday, adding that right policy support and faster decision-making can help in fostering collaborations across stakeholders. EVs are emerging as a transformative solution, in line with India's COP26 commitment to transition to 100 per cent zero-emission vehicles by 2040. According ...Read More
New Delhi [India], December 12 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday held a meeting with concerned officials to review poll preparedness for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for 2025. In a post on X, the ECI stated that it had conducted a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi, the District Election Officer (DEO), the Returning Officer (RO), the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), and other nodal officials to "review the progress of the ongoi...Read More
Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], December 12 (ANI): Haryana Chief Secretary Vivek Joshi on Thursday presided over a state-level coordination committee meeting to review the 'PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.' According to an official release, it was informed during the meeting that 9,609 rooftop solar systems with a combined capacity of 45.90 MW have been installed across the state so far. The government has disbursed Rs 52.54 crore in subsidies to beneficiaries to further encourage solar adoption...Read More
Thiruvananthapuram: A red alert, indicating an extremely heavy rainfall forecast, has been issued for three districts in Kerala: Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, and Idukki. Additionally. The Central Meteorological Department has declared a high alert for central and southern Kerala. An orange alert is in effect for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Thrissur districts, while a yellow alert has been issued for all districts except Kannur and Kasargod. The Meteorological Department ...Read More
MUMBAI: The capital markets regulator Sebi has issued an administrative warning to HDFC Bank for alleged non-compliance with certain rules regarding its merchant banking subsidiary after the watchdog has found after an internal inspection. In a regulatory filing on Thursday, the second-largest lender said, "The administrative warning letter was issued in relation to observations made during the course of its periodic inspection of investment banking activities undertaken by the bank." The bank...Read More
Dibrugarh: Residents of Khamjongia village in the Titabar area of Jorhat district came together to rescue four wild elephants, including a struggling calf, that had fallen into a deep pond. The incident took place around 6.10 pm on Wednesday, when the elephants which got separated from their herd, found themselves trapped in the large pond, unable to climb out due to its steep slippery edges. The elephants repeatedly attempted to scale the pond's steep sides but kept sliding back into the deep...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The Rs 8,000 crore initial share sale of supermarket chain Vishal Mega Mart got fully subscribed on the second day of bidding on Thursday, ending with 1.53 times subscription. The three-day initial public offer (IPO) got bids for 1,15,74,96,150 shares against 75,67,56,757 shares on offer, according to data available with the NSE. The portion for non-institutional investors attracted 3.80 times subscription while the share of Retail Individual Investors (RIIs) got subscr...Read More
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 12 (PTI) Tensions flared in the Karnataka Assembly on Thursday as BJP MLAs barged into Speaker U T Khader's chamber, expressing strong objections to his handling of the proceedings. The confrontation came amidst heated debates over the recent police lathi charge on Panchamasali Lingayat protesters, with the ruling Congress and opposition BJP trading accusations. The issue arose when Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar, himself a leader of the Panchamasali Lingayat co...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Thursday afternoon amid disruptions as the members of the treasury and opposition benches traded charges over a no-trust motion brought against Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and the BJP's allegations of the Congress leadership's "links" with billionaire investor George Soros. The Upper House has been witnessing a ruckus as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been alleging links between the Congress and Soros, and ...Read More
Jharkhand supplementary budget: The Jharkhand Assembly on Thursday (December 12) passed the second supplementary budget of Rs 11,697.45 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Following the budget's passage, Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato adjourned the four-day session of the assembly sine die. Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore tabled the second supplementary budget, with the largest allocation of Rs 6,390.55 crore directed to the Women, Child Development, and Social Security Department. This sign...Read More
Panaji: Actor Keerthy Suresh tied the knot with her long-time beau Antony Thattil in Goa. After solemnising her relationship in a traditional ceremony, Keerthy took to Instagram and shared pictures from her D-Day. "#ForTheLoveOfNyke (heart emoji)," she captioned the post. One of the photos captured the moment when Keerthy and Antony exchanged the garlands. The couple also posed with their dog, looking extremely happy while performing the wedding rituals. Both Keerthy and Antony were dressed i...Read More
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], December 12 (ANI): Ahead of the 2025 Women's Premier League (WPL) player auctions, Gujarat Giants on Thursday announced strategic changes to their coaching staff, with Pravin Tambe appointed as the new bowling coach and former Australian cricketer Daniel Marsh as the new batting coach. Michael Klinger, the former Australian batter, will continue as the team's head coach, having joined last season. In a statement, Gujarat Giants said, "Ahead of the 2025 Women's Prem...Read More
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], December 12 (ANI): The Haryana Steelers are brimming with confidence as they approach the critical stages of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season. With qualification secured, the team is now focused on fine-tuning their performances and avoiding the pitfalls that have hindered them in previous editions, including their defeat in the final of PKL Season 10. Head coach Manpreet Singh offered a candid reflection on the team's journey, highlighting the complexity of their...Read More
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 12 (ANI): The India Meteorological Department has predicted light to moderate rainfall over most parts of Tamilnadu, Puducherry and Karaikal area with thunderstorms and lighting expected at isolated locations. According to the IMD, isolated heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy showers at one or two places is likely to occur over Tenkasi, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts of Tamilnadu. Heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated pl...Read More
Chandigarh, Dec 12 (VOICE) A total of 9,609 rooftop solar systems with a capacity to generate 45.90 MW have been installed in Haryana. This fact came to light at a meeting presided over by Chief Secretary Vivek to review the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana here. The government has disbursed Rs 52.54 crore in subsidies to beneficiaries to encourage solar adoption. The state is focusing on equipping government buildings with solar power plants, with the Public Works Department (PWD) developing a...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 12 (VOICE) Without a social change and improvement in the behaviour of drivers, it is difficult to reduce the number of road accidents in the country, said Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday, adding that he is forced to "hide his face" in international meets due to the country's poor record on road fatalities. Replying to a question on road safety in Lok Sabha, Nitin Gadkari put the figure for annual road accident fatalities at 1.78 lahks, cautioning t...Read More
Chennai: The capacity utilisation of the domestic steel industry is set to drop to 78 per cent for the first time in four years. In order to check unprecedented imports, the government is considering imposing a 25 per cent duty on steel imports. Cheaper imports from China and countries under Free Trade Agreement along with ongoing capacity addition can lead to capacity utilisation of domestic steel mills dropping from 85 per cent in FY2024 to an estimated 78 per cent in the current fiscal, the ...Read More
New Delhi: In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has directed that no new lawsuits related to places of worship (temples, mosques, or shrines) can be filed until further notice. This decision was made during the ongoing hearing of petitions challenging the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The ruling prohibits the lower courts from issuing any survey orders or interim orders that might alter the status or nature of any religious site. The bench, comprising Chief Justice San...Read More
PNN New Delhi [India], December 12: In the 21st century, the world is going green in phases, and therefore using renewable sources of energy isn't going to harm the environment, but it's going to benefit your pocket. On average, the IEA has anticipated an increase of renewable energy sources' capacity by 75% from 2022 to 2027, spearheaded by solar and wind energy. Renewable energy investment is already at more than $50 billion annually in the United States. It is projected to climb even higher...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) With Assembly polls drawing closer, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal Thursday announced the roll out of the Delhi government's Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana, and promised to raise the monthly aid from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,100 post-elections. He, however, clarified the money could be credited into beneficiaries' accounts only after elections as the dates are likely to be announced soon. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, meanwhile, said if the Model Code of Conduct comes into forc...Read More
Bengaluru, Dec 12 (PTI) Ride-hailing app Uber on Thursday launched 'Uber Moto Women,' a first-of-its-kind service in Bengaluru offering women-only bike rides, the company said. In a statement, Uber said that this on-demand two-wheeler service connects female riders with female drivers and is designed to address women's safety and mobility needs while "empowering female drivers with flexible earning opportunities". "Developed based on feedback from women riders and drivers, Uber Moto Women offe...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The Union government has sanctioned a combined strength of more than 2,800 CISF personnel to guard two soon-to-be operational international airports in Noida and in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai, official sources said Thursday. Sources told PTI that the ministry of home affairs (MHA), under whose command the CISF works, had sanctioned 1,840 posts for the Navi Mumbai airport and 1,030 the Noida International Airport (NIA) in Uttar Pradesh. The total CISF manpower sanctioned ...Read More
Bengaluru Techie Suicide: #JusticeForAtul: Outrage Erupts Nationwide After Bengaluru Techie Atul Subhash's Suicide, Blames Wife for Harassment, The family of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash's wife is on the run after being named in an FIR for harassment linked to his tragic suicide. Subhash's in-laws reportedly fled their Jaunpur home to avoid arrest, with videos circulating on social media showing his mother-in-law and brother-in-law leaving late at night. The family calls for justice and demands...Read More