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GUWAHATI, 17 Dec: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday handed over ex gratia of Rs. 5 lakh each to the next of kin of 21 labourers from the state who were killed in a road accident in Arunachal Pradesh. A truck carrying 22 workers from Tinsukia district fell off a cliff on Hayuliang-Chaglagam Road in Anjaw district in the eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh on the night of December 8. All the victims were from Dhelaghat in Gillapukri Tea Estate. Sarma wished the lone survivor, ...Read More >
Vijayawada: Lanka Dinakar, chairman of the Twenty Points Programme (Viksit Bharat-Swarna Andhra), Government of Andhra Pradesh, has called for comprehensive structural reforms to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to improve its effectiveness and transparency. The call followed a review of the scheme's implementation across all 26 districts in the state under the leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Dinakar said restructuring the programme had bec ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday modified its earlier order restraining Delhi and NCR authorities from taking coercive action against "end-of-life" vehicles - 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles - and said the reprieve would apply only to BS 4 or BS 6 emission norm-compliant vehicles.This order will impact over 14.7 lakh BS 1 compliant cars, three-wheelers, two-wheelers, buses and goods carriers; more than 38.7 lakh BS 2 compliant ones; and another 53.7 lakh BS 3 vehicles ...Read More >
Hyderabad: The All India Retired Railwaymen's Federation (AIRRF) staged protest at Rail Nilayam in Secunderabad here on Wednesday demanding the government to fulfill their demands. The pensioners belonging to Central government, especially the railway staff urged the government to engage in constructive dialogue and to address their long-pending grievances with urgency and fairness for the dignity and security of the retired workforce. The protestors put forwarded some of their demands as to r ...Read More >
New Delhi: Delhi govt on Wednesday mandated offices in the capital - Delhi govt and private - to function with a maximum of 50% of their employees in the workplace and the rest working from home starting Thursday, as a measure to reduce pollution in the city.Delhi labour minister Kapil Mishra said "establishments will have to strictly enforce the work-from-home norms and also motivate employees for car-pooling". Later in the day, the labour department issued an advisory reiterating the restricti ...Read More >
Panaji: India faces an increasingly volatile maritime security landscape marked by geopolitical shifts and emerging threats ranging from grey-zone warfare to seaborne supply chain vulnerabilities, said chief of naval staff, admiral Dinesh Tripathi on Wednesday.The country's top naval officer warned that the waters around India have become "more complex and contested than ever before," driven by changing power dynamics, rapid technological advancement, and a widening array of security challenges ...Read More >
MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has asked all insurance companies to adopt special 1600-series telephone numbers by February 15, to help protect consumers from fraud calls. All entities regulated by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India must use the designated numbering series for customer service and transaction-related calls, Trai said in a direction issued on Tuesday. The deadline was set in consultation with the insurance regulator. The 1600 s ...Read More >
SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday emphasised that Jammu and Kashmir is ideally placed as a destination for adventure tourism activities. Addressing the 17th Annual Convention of the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) at the Sher-i- Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), the Chief Minister lauded the efforts of ATOAI for organizing its 17th Annual Convention at Srinagar, aimed at promoting responsible, safe, sustainable and resilient adventure touri ...Read More >
Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Wednesday said that large parts of the country have been freed from terrorism and, barring a few pockets, most of the northeast is now terrorism-free. Sinha maintained that local terror recruitment in J&K has sharply decreased and terrorists hiding in rugged terrain, mountains and dense forests will be eliminated soon. "Large parts of the country have been freed from terrorism. Except for a few pockets, most of the northeast has become free of terrorism. ...Read More >
Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday emphasized that Jammu and Kashmir is ideally placed as a destination for adventure tourism activities. Addressing the 17th Annual Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) Convention at SKICC here, Omar Abdullah also said that while adventure tourism thrives on adrenaline, it must never compromise on safety or sustainability, an official press release said. The four-day event being held in Srinagar from December 17 to 20, 2025, is ...Read More >
Srinagar: The prolonged dry weather in Kashmir is likely to end as there is a possibility of a wet spell in the valley around the time coinciding with the 'Chillai-Kalan' -- the 40-day harshest winter period - sets in. The local weather office on Wednesday said a western disturbance is likely to impact Jammu and Kashmir during December 21-22 as the winter period marks its entry in the valley. Due to this weather system, there is a possibility of moderate to heavy snowfall in the higher reaches ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 18 (ANI): In a significant milestone for the nation's transportation infrastructure, Indian Railways has achieved electrification of 99.2 per cent of its broad gauge network, putting it ahead of countries like the UK (39%), Russia (52%), and China (82%), bringing the country closer than ever to a fully electrified railway system, according to the Ministry of Railways' press release. Fourteen railway zones, including Central, Eastern, and Northern Railways, have achie ...Read More >
JAMMU: The government on Wednesday constituted eight seven-member committee to enquire into the process of selection of the team for participation in the 79th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, 2025 "Sanction is accorded to the constitution of Enquiry Committee comprising of the eight officers to enquire into the process of selection of the team for participation in the 79th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, 2025 so as to ascertain the factual position, in a tim ...Read More >
Srinagar: Police on Wednesday attached a property worth Rs 1.5 crore of a "notorious" drug peddler here that was allegedly acquired through the proceeds of illicit drug trafficking. The property was attached under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in connection with a case registered at Shalteng police station, a police spokesperson said. He said the action followed a detailed financial investigation conducted in accordance with Chapter V-A of the NDPS ...Read More >
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government is hoping that the National Medical Commission (NMC) will approve 100 undergraduate medical seats for each of the five new government medical colleges being started in the state under the PPP (public-private partnership) mode. These colleges are coming up at Markapur, Pulivendula, Adoni, Madanapalle and Piduguralla under Phase-2 of the development of medical colleges in the state. The previous YSRC regime had intended in 2020 to set up 17 new government me ...Read More >
Dehradun, Dec 17 (PTI) Air quality in Dehradun has deteriorated over the past two days, slipping into the 'poor' category and raising concerns. Professor Vijay Sridhar, head of the pollution monitoring centre at Doon University, said the city's real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) on Wednesday stood at 267, while the average AQI touched 291. "The AQI shows some improvement during the day due to air movement, but at night it crosses 300," he told PTI Videos. He added that while the situation in D ...Read More >
Kolkata: The multi-year gold rally is showing little signs of abating, with prices likely to remain elevated through 2026 and potentially approach $6,000 an ounce (about ₹541,920 an ounce, and ₹1.90 lakh per 10 gram), said World Gold Council chief executive David Tait. One ounce of gold is equivalent to 28 gm of the precious metal. "There are strong indicators for continued high gold prices in 2026," Tait said. "Many are projecting $6,000, and frankly, that figure feels very close given the pre ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday slammed Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi for showing India's robust manufacturing growth in the last 11 years in a bad light globally. Rahul Gandhi, who is in Germany's Munich, visited a plant of a leading automobile manufacturer and posted a video where the Congress leader is heard criticising manufacturing back home. "Manufacturing is the backbone of strong economies. Sadly, in India, manufacturing is declining. For us to ac ...Read More >
Patna: A social media post by the BJP claiming that RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav is "missing" from the state's political scene after the assembly poll defeat reignited political debate on Wednesday.While the ruling NDA alleged Tejashwi "ran away" from the political scene after the humiliating poll defeat, the RJD termed it as a reflection of how the NDA suffers from "Tejashwi phobia" even after victory.The political scene got heated up moments after the BJP issued a poster about the "Missing ...Read More >
. NEW DELHI: Air India on Wednesday night issued a travel advisory alerting passengers about possible flight disruptions over the next few days due to dense fog conditions in northern and eastern India. The advisory highlights that Delhi along with several other airports in the region, may experience reduced visibility, which could affect flight operations. "Over the next few days, potential dense fog conditions resulting in poor visibility may impact flight operations at our primary hub in Delh ...Read More >
Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 18 (ANI): A fire broke out in an LIC Office in the Periyar area of Madurai on Tuesday night. The fire tender and ambulance have been reported to be at the scene. One woman died during the incident, according to the Madurai City Police. An eyewitness, Manikandan, said, "I came to withdraw cash from the ATM at exactly 8.45 pm. At that time, I learned that a fire had broken out on the upper floor, so I immediately went upstairs. I broke the glass door, and th ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 18 (ANI): Parliament on Wednesday passed the 'Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill, 2025', with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman assuring members that opening up the sector will attract new insurers, intermediaries and allied service providers, expanding the overall insurance ecosystem and creating net employment. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill after a reply from the Finance Minister. The Lok Sabha passed it on Tuesday. In her reply, Sithar ...Read More >
Panaji: The Luthra brothers, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane where 25 people were killed in a fire on Dec 6, were remanded in five days police custody by a Mapusa court on Wednesday. Goa police -- which brought the brothers to Goa from Delhi on Wednesday morning -- had sought 10 days police custody for the duo and argued that custodial interrogation was required to deter them and their associates from fleeing the country.Police told the court that they wanted to uncover their financial transaction ...Read More >
Bengaluru: In the early hours of December 13, a medical emergency turned fatal for 34-year-old Venkataramanan, a motor vehicle mechanic from Balaji Nagar in south Bengaluru. At around 3.30 am, he complained of severe chest pain at home. With no ambulance arriving despite attempts, his wife Roopa decided to take him on a two-wheeler to the nearest private hospital. According to the family, the first hospital refused to admit him, stating that no doctor was available. Hoping for help, Roopa took ...Read More >
Srinagar, Dec 17: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday drew parallels between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent act of touching a Muslim woman's hijab and a past election-related controversy in Jammu and Kashmir involving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, terming both incidents a manifestation of a "regressive mindset". Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Omar said such episodes were not isolated and recalled an incident from an earlier election when, he alle ...Read More >
Kolkata, Dec 17 (UNI) Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand will be competing with talented young chess prodigies at the seventh edition of the Tata Steel Chess India to be held here from January 7 - 11, the organisers said in a media release on Wednesday. After a gap of six years, Anand will be seen in action again at the Tata Steel Chess India. Reigning World Champion, D Gukesh, will be competing with Anand for the first time, in an individual capacity, at a tournament in India. The run ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 17 (UNI) The Kerala government has decided to take a confrontational stand by proceeding with the screening of international films that were denied censor exemption by the union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B). On December 11, the I&B Ministry initially denied censor exemption to all 187 films selected for the festival, citing failure to submit applications within the stipulated timeline. Subsequently, the Ministry granted exemption to 150 films and later ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 17 (UNI) Taking serious note of the worsening air pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR region, the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a series of directions to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to urgently examine the feasibility of temporarily closing or relocating toll plazas situated at the borders of the national capital to ease chronic traffic congestion. A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joym ...Read More >
Delhi air pollution: SC asks NHAI, MCD to consider temporary closure or relocation of border toll plazas within one week New Delhi, Dec 17 (UNI) Taking serious note of the worsening air pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR region, the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a series of directions to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to urgently examine the feasibility of temporarily closing or relocating toll plazas situated at the borders of th ...Read More >
Hyderabad: The Congress-backed candidates won more than 60 per cent sarpanches in the gram panchayat elections across all three phases. The opposition BRS-supported candidates won 25 per cent posts, while the BJP-backed candidates got only four per cent panchayats. Independents and others emerged as a major block by winning at least 10 per cent, playing a key role in the Panchayat elections. In the third phase, the Congress-backed candidates won in 2,120 panchayats, while BRS-backed ones won 1, ...Read More >
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