Srinagar, Aug 13: Ahead of Independence Day, elaborate security arrangements have been put in place across the Kashmir Valley to ensure a peaceful and incident-free celebration. Additional deployment of troops has been made in sensitive areas and multi-tier security measures are in effect, officials said on Wednesday. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, V.K. Birdi, said that full-dress rehearsals for the Independence Day celebrations were conducted smoothly in all districts of the Valley...Read More
MUMBAI: ICICI Bank has rolled back its rule requiring new savings accounts opened after Aug 1 to maintain a monthly average balance (MAB) of Rs 50,000 and has revised the threshold to Rs 15,000. The move follows a social media backlash against the higher balance requirement, which was criticised for making banking exclusive.The bank said it has revised its schedule of charges and MAB requirements following customer feedback. The changes do not apply to salary accounts, senior citizens above 60 y...Read More
At the permanent campus in Lucknow, the central university will run regular programmes like BA (Honours) English, MA English, MA Linguistics, MA English Literature, Post Graduate Diploma in the Teaching of English (PGDTE) and PhD along with part-time courses in French, German, Russian and Spanish languages. The Uttar Pradesh government has transferred 2.32 hectares of land for the construction of a permanent campus of the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad to promote quality ed...Read More
While offering to resign, Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh on Tuesday dared Samajwadi Party MLA Mohd Faheem Irfan to prove that his village was not getting water supply. Replying to a question during Question Hour on the second day of the Monsoon session in UP assembly, Singh said: "I would ask Mohd Faheem Irfan to swear by his wife that his village is not getting water supply. I guarantee that I will resign. I know his village is Ibrahimpur and the pradhan's name is Sajid. He may be cal...Read More
Guwahati: A high-level delegation of Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) met leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday, urging him to raise the twin issues of the Assam Accord implementation and constitutional safeguards for the Assamese people in Parliament.The meeting is significant given the tense atmosphere in the state due to the eviction drives initiated by the state govt and ultimatums issued by various vigilante groups to 'migrant Muslims' of Bangladesh origin to leave upper Assa...Read More
Chief Minister M K Stalin will launch a scheme on Tuesday to deliver ration items to the doors of over 21 lakh beneficiaries-senior citizens and the differently abled-the Tamil Nadu government said. The "Chief Minister's Thayumanavar Scheme" will be launched by Stalin here, wherein ration items including rice and sugar will be delivered to the intended beneficiaries at their doorsteps, an official release said. Senior citizens of over 70 years and differently abled ration card holders are the ...Read More
Sri Lankan MP Harish Silva urged lawmakers not to mock India over its trade dispute with the US, recalling that India had helped Sri Lanka in its time of need. Sri Lankan parliamentarian Harish Silva has urged fellow lawmakers to be respectful towards India amid its ongoing tensions with Washington over US tariff rates. Speaking during a debate on the impact of US tariffs, Silva said, "Let's not talk about the US tariffs here. Don't laugh at India. Don't mock them when they are down because wh...Read More
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], August 13 (ANI): Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President KT Rama Rao has come down heavily on Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka for his recent statement claiming that the Congress government had implemented "almost all" of the six guarantees promised to the people.According to a press note, KTR recalled that, before the elections, the Congress party and its leaders, including Bhatti Vikramarka, had urged people to "keep the Six Guarantee cards safe" an...Read More
NELLORE: Sarvepalli MLA and former minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy has accused Pulivendula MLA and former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of being intolerant of democratic developments in his own constituency. Speaking to media in Nellore, he said for the first time in 30 years, nominations had been filed and polling held for Pulivendula ZPTC, which Jagan Mohan Reddy cannot digest. Somireddy charged that during the YSRCP regime, large-scale irregularities in sarpanch, MPTC and ZPTC...Read More
Lucknow: Lucknow Municipal Corporation is conducting a special cleanliness and decoration drive across all 110 wards and eight zones ahead of Independence Day and Janmashtami festival. Zonal officers, sanitary staff and supervisors have been assigned ward-specific duties, focusing on road and market cleaning, drain maintenance, garbage collection and waste disposal.LMC teams will visit homes to promote cleanliness and encourage residents to hoist national flag as part of Har Ghar Tiranga campaig...Read More
New Delhi: In what many are calling a masterclass in diplomatic manipulation, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir returned from the United States with a basket of concessions that critics say not only embolden Islamabad's anti-India agenda but also expose America's dangerous willingness to overlook hard truths for short-term geopolitical gains. Cloaked in the language of "bilateral cooperation", the visit has delivered a series of outcomes that tilt heavily in Pakistan's fav...Read More
Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation's (GHMC) order to shut beef shops and slaughterhouses on the Independence Day (August 15) and Krishna Janmashtami (August 16) evoked mixed response from people in the city. While some felt that the beef shops should be closed on Krishna Janmashtami considering religious sentiments, they said the shops could be allowed to function on August 15. While there are no restrictions on chicken, fish, etc., beef shops were ordered to be closed. So ...Read More
New Delhi: Ahead of Independence Day, three men were arrested for allegedly selling banned Chinese manjha in different parts of the city. A total of 112 rolls of the banned manjha were seized. Acting on a tip-off, Delhi Police's crime branch conducted a raid at a stationery shop in west Delhi's Uttam Nagar on Tuesday and seized 27 rolls of Chinese manjha. The accused, shop owner Yogesh, is a resident of Rohtak in Haryana.On the same day, another raid was conducted in east Delhi's Trilokpuri. Har...Read More
Amritsar (Punjab) [India], August 11 (ANI): Continuing the war against drugs "Yudh Nashian Virudh" waged by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state consecutively for the 163rd day, Punjab Police conducted raids at 335 locations on Monday leading to the arrest of 104 drug smugglers after registration of 74 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. According to an official release, the total number of drug smugglers arrested has reached 25,524 in 163 days.Th...Read More
Mohali (Punjab) [India], August 11 (ANI): Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal on Monday reviewed the first day of rehearsals for the Independence Day celebrations at Shaheed (Shaurya Chakra) Major Harminder Pal Singh Government College, Phase 6, Mohali.Applauding the performances of students, NCC cadets, and school band teams, Mittal urged participants to present the cultural programme in a way that embodies national pride, promotes harmony and peace, and conveys a strong message of unity and integ...Read More
Commuters have been advised to avoid these stretches during the procession timings to prevent delays and congestion. Traffic movement in Delhi's Paharganj area will be affected on Thursday afternoon due to the Janmashtami and Tazia processions, the Delhi Traffic Police said in an advisory on Wednesday. The advisory highlighted that the Paharganj samuhik shobha yatra for Janmashtami and the Tazia procession will occur on August 14, with restrictions and diversions commencing from 1.30 pm. The ...Read More
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 13 (ANI): Congress and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) have announced that they will boycott the Independence Day Tea Reception hosted by Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, who has been 'acting against the people'. Congress MLAs will boycott the Independence Day tea reception on August 15 hosted by the Governor, state Congress President K Selvaperunthagai said in a statement. 'As a mark of protest against Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, who has been acting against t...Read More
New Delhi [India], August 14 (ANI): Noting that India has done the right thing by not caving in to the Trump administration pressure in trade talks to provide more access to the country agriculture and dairy sectors, former diplomat Vikas Swarup has said the US called India a Tariff King but now the Tariff King in the world is the United States. In an interview with ANI, Vikas Swarup, who is a former High Commissioner to Canada, said steps being taken by the US President Donald Trump will event...Read More
New Delhi [India], August 14 (ANI): Noting that India has done the "right thing" by not caving in to the Trump administration's pressure in trade talks to provide more access to the country's agriculture and dairy sectors, former diplomat Vikas Swarup has said "the US called India a 'Tariff King' but now the 'Tariff King' in the world is the United States".In an interview with ANI, Vikas Swarup, who is a former High Commissioner to Canada, said steps being taken by the US President Donald Trump ...Read More
New Delhi, August 13 (ANI): Former diplomat Vikas Swarup has described the United States' current relationship with Pakistan as a short-term, tactical arrangement driven largely by financial interests, while stressing that US-India ties remain strategic in nature. In an interview with ANI, Swarup, a former High Commissioner to Canada and renowned author, said, 'We have to look at the US' relationship with Pakistan in a different lens from the US' relationship with India. I believe the current r...Read More
New Delhi [India], August 13 (ANI): Former diplomat Vikas Swarup said on Wednesday that Pakistan is rattled by India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir has tried to stoke fear of nuclear war because Islamabad always wants external mediation. In an interview with ANI, Vikas Swaroop, a former High Commissioner to Canada, said US has imposed tariffs on India but it is the 'Tariff King' of the world and said steps being taken by the US President Donald Trump will ...Read More
Srinagar, Aug 13: A soldier was killed in the Uri sector of Baramulla district along the Line of Control (LoC) on Wednesday, while a massive operation is underway in the area. This is the second such incident in Uri this week. The 15 Corps identified the soldier killed on Wednesday as Havaldar Ankit Kumar. "Chinar Corps honours the supreme sacrifice of Braveheart Havildar Ankit Kumar, who laid down his life while undertaking operational duty along the Line of Control in Uri, Baramulla. Chinar...Read More
New Delhi: Ahead of Independence Day, three men were arrested for allegedly selling banned Chinese manjha in different parts of the city. A total of 112 rolls of the banned manjha were seized. Acting on a tip-off, Delhi Police's crime branch conducted a raid at a stationery shop in west Delhi's Uttam Nagar on Tuesday and seized 27 rolls of Chinese manjha. The accused, shop owner Yogesh, is a resident of Rohtak in Haryana.On the same day, another raid was conducted in east Delhi's Trilokpuri. Har...Read More
Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin on Wednesday urged DMK district secretaries to form booth-level committees (BLCs) to ensure that there are no largescale deletions of voters similar to Bihar."We have seen the atrocities that unfolded in the guise of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters list in Bihar. Our booth level committees should be strengthened. So expedite the constitution of BLCs," Stalin said at a district secretaries meeting. He said he would personally monitor the process of se...Read More
Varanasi: At least five persons, including two women and a girl, were killed while several other passengers suffered injuries when a UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) bus rammed into a truck after veering into the wrong lane near Gureini petrol pump under the Khetasarai police station area of Jaunpur district late Tuesday night.Jaunpur district magistrate (DM) Dinesh Chandra and SP Kaustubh said seven severely injured passengers were taken to the district hospital, where four were dec...Read More
Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has made 365 prime time shows/screening of Bengali films mandatory in multiplexes and movie halls to promote the spirit of Bengali 'asmita'. In a notification issued on Wednesday, the government stated that in "every cinema hall, and in all screens of every multiplex in the state, 365 prime time shows/ screenings of Bengali films shall mandatorily be held throughout the year with at least one Bengali show per day on all 365 days of the yea...Read More
New Delhi: The court submission made about a threat to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's life allegedly from some BJP MPs stood withdrawn on Wednesday night. The lawyer, who made the submission on behalf of Gandhi, in a statement announced withdrawal of the submission and AICC released his statement to the press. Lawyer Milind D Pawar said in a statement: "The pursis (submission) dated 13.08. 2025 was filed by me in the court without instructions from the client. The contents of the pursis were dr...Read More
Tripura: BSF organises motorcycle rally under "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign ahead of Independence Day Tripura (Agartala) [India], August 13 (ANI): Ahead of India's 79th Independence Day, in a spirited display of patriotism and unity, the Border Security Force (BSF), Frontier Headquarters Tripura, organised a Motorcycle Rally under the nationwide 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign. The rally was flagged off by Ashwani Kumar Sharma, Inspector General, Frontier HQ BSF Tripura, on Tuesday, the BSF said in ...Read More
Patna (Bihar) [India], August 13 (ANI): Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary on Wednesday took part in Tiranga Yatra, organised under the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' initiative, ahead of Independence Day. Speaking to reporters, Deputy Chief Minister Chaudhary stated that a message is being given through the Tiranga Yatra that India will become great. 'Many martyrs sacrificed their lives for our freedom... Through the Tiranga Yatra, the message was given that India is one, India will become grea...Read More
New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Chinese port city of Tianjin at the end of this month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi may visit India next week for the 24th round of the Special Representative (SR) talks on the boundary issue between the two nations. According to reports, the visit is likely to take place on August 18. However, there has been no official word or confirmation from either New Delhi or Beijing,...Read More