New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The Centre's high-level panel on exam reforms has advised against permanent staffing in the National Testing Agency (NTA), instead recommending longer tenure for executives and domain experts with attractive service conditions. Under fire over alleged irregularities in the conduct of medical entrance exam NEET-UG and PhD entrance NET, the government set up the panel in July to study the functioning of the NTA. The Opposition had claimed that NTA operates with fewer than...Read More
New Delhi: A former student leader of JNU, Umar Khalid was granted seven-day interim bail on Wednesday by Delhi court to attend his cousin's wedding functions. Khalid is currently in judicial custody in connection with a larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 North East Delhi violence. The court granted interim bail to him from December 28 to January 3....Read More
Bhubaneswar, Dec 18 (PTI) Ahead of BJD's 28th foundation day on December 26, its chief Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged members to remain dedicated to serving the people of Odisha, while the party announced a mass demonstration in Bhubaneswar on January 6 to highlight the price rise of essential commodities and other issues. Patnaik asked party supporters to "raise voice against the BJP government's 'anti-people' policies" and also highlight the impact of high inflation, which hits the poor an...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The Delhi High Court will on December 19 hear AAP MP Raghav Chadha's plea seeking to restrain authorities from taking any action over the cancellation his official bungalow's allotment. A bench of Justices Yashwant Varma and Dharmesh Sharma, which heard the matter on Wednesday, allowed Chadha's counsel to file an amendment in the prayers clause of the petition challenging a trial court's recent order vacating the stay on his eviction from the bungalow. The high court li...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The Rajya Sabha was on Wednesday rocked by protests from Opposition members who demanded an apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, claiming his remarks in the House a day earlier were an "insult" to the architect of India's Constitution B R Ambedkar. Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of misleading the country by using only a part of Shah's remarks made in the Rajya Sabha and asserted that the Home Minister had in very clear w...Read More
Hyderabad, Dec 18 (PTI) Alleging that the country's reputation was "hurt" following the indictment of Gautam Adani in a US court, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to protect the industrialist. The chief minister, who participated in a 'Chalo Raj Bhavan' here as per a call given by the AICC, said the Congress government is ready to pass a resolution in the Assembly seeking JPC on the Adani issue if the opposition BRS extends suppor...Read More
CHENNAI: Mayiladuthurai MP R Sudha has sought tax exemption for the prize money that world chess champion D Gukesh won at the recent World Chess Championship in Singapore. Sudha wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman demanding tax exemption. In the letter, Sudha said, "Gukesh became the youngest world chess champion in history. The victory brought him prize money of about Rs 11.45 crore from the tournament, but his tax liability is about Rs ...Read More
Lucknow, Dec 18 (VOICE) Several Congress leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Ajay Rai, were detained by the police while they were going to participate in a 'gherao' of the Assembly, here on Wednesday.The protest, aimed at voicing opposition to the policies of the BJP-led Yogi Adityanath government, focused on issues such as unemployment, corruption, and the recent Sambhal violence. The protest, which saw hundreds of Congress workers, was met with heavy resistance from state authori...Read More
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 18 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai and other leaders were detained by police who were holding a protest march in Lucknow against the state government. The party earlier announced a 'gherao' of Vidhan Sabha today as the assembly convened for the winter session on Wednesday "Our party workers are standing here, and they will protest against the atrocities done by the Yogi govt. The kind of atrocities this government is doing against the farm...Read More
New Delhi [India], December 18 (ANI): Congress MP Pramod Tiwari lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah who has been in the eye of a storm over his remarks on Baba Saheb Ambedkar. The Congress member said that without Ambedkar, Amit Shah would not have been a member of the Lower House of the Parliament. "... If Ambedkar ji was not there, he (Amit Shah) would not have even sat there. There would have been no Lok Sabha, no Rajya Sabha and no Constitution. So this is not only an insult to Bab...Read More
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 18 (ANI): Kolkata Police on Wednesday detained Congress workers as they held a protest against Union Minister Amit Shah's statement on Bharat Ratna BR Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha. The Congress party is conducting protests across all states, targeting the government on these issues and demanding action and accountability. Also Read | Umar Khalid Gets 7 Days Interim Bail in Delhi Riots Conspiracy Case To Attend Cousin's Wedding. Earlier, the Leader of the...Read More
Delhi Riots Case: Court has granted Umar Khalid seven-day bail. The interim bail has been granted to Khalid in order for him to attend a wedding in the family. Previously, Khalid face tough time as he tried for bail. In October 2022, he was denied bail by Delhi High Court. Khalid faces charges under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with 2020 North-East Delhi riots. Earlier this year, a trial court rejected his bail plea. The current interim-bail has been granted by Kark...Read More
Chandigarh, Dec 18: Train services in Punjab were affected as farmers squatted on rail tracks on Wednesday as part of their three-hour 'Rail Roko' protest to press the Centre into accepting their various demands, including a legally binding minimum support price for crops. The call for the 'rail roko' was given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said farmers have been squatted on rail tracks at many places fro...Read More
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has raised concern over terminally ill prisoners languishing in Maharashtra's jails and asked the state govt to consider proper implementation of an advisory on grant of medical bail or to place them in house arrest. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan on Monday said they visited the Yerwada central prison in Pune on Sunday and met with prisoners, particularly women inmates, and inspected the condition there. The bench referred to ...Read More
According to the commerce ministry data, imports rose by 27 per cent year-on-year to a record USD 69.95 billion in November due to high inbound shipments of vegetable oil, fertiliser, and silver. Slamming the Modi government, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said prioritising crony businesses over play-fair ones leads to weakened manufacturing sector, depreciating currency, record high trade deficits, high interest rates, falling consumption and soaring inflation....Read More
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (December 18, 2024) adjourned till the second week of January the bail plea of advocate Surendra Gadling in connection with the 2016 Surjagarh iron ore mine arson case. A bench of Justices M. M. Sundresh and Aravind Kumar deferred the matter after the counsel appearing for Surendra Gadling sought time to go through the reply filed by Maharashtra in the matter. The top court on October 10, 2023, issued notice to the state government and sought its response on the ...Read More
[INTERVIEW] With Korean companies having risen to prominence on the global stage, the Korea Testing & Research Institute (KTR) hopes to be a secure companion in their journey to overseas expansion. After establishing Korea's first certification agency in Poland this year, KTR set a goal of logging 1 trillion won ($700 million) of annual revenue by 2035. "KTR's 10-year goal is to become a global comprehensive testing agency, and it was set through a series of discussions and reviews," wrote KT...Read More
CHENNAI: A low-pressure area, which formed over the Bay of Bengal on Monday and may move towards Tamil Nadu coast in the next two days after intensifying, is likely to bring heavy rain to north coastal districts -- from Chennai to Nagapattinam -- and adjoining districts between Dec 17 and 19. The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert (heavy to very heavy rainfall) for Chennai, Chengalpet, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore and Villupuram districts. The city and its three n...Read More
New Delhi: Lieutenant governor VK Saxena has written to chief minister Atishi, asking for the convening of a special sitting of Delhi Assembly to allow the tabling of the pending CAG reports in the House. Saxena said that the session should be convened without delay to ensure adherence to the constitutional mandate. Last week, the LG approved the 14 pending reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General for tabling in the legislative body. Officials said that Delhi govt sent 12 of the CAG repor...Read More
Kashmir witnesses a slight improvement in cold conditions as minimum temperatures rise, though still below freezing. Srinagar records minus 4.5°C, up from minus 5.3°C. Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and other areas experience intense cold, with some water bodies and supply lines frozen. A further temperature drop is expected. Kashmir experienced a slight relief in its harsh cold conditions as the region's minimum temperatures noted a marginal rise, though they continue to hover below freezing. Official re...Read More
A 55-year-old man, who was among the several persons injured in the BEST bus accident in Kurla area here, died on Monday morning, taking the death toll to eight, a civic official said. The electric bus, hired by the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking on wet-lease basis, ploughed into a crowd and fatally knocked down seven persons and injured 42 others on a crowded road in Kurla area on December 9. Several vehicles were also damaged in the incident. One of ...Read More
NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament, presenting him with pomegranates from Maharashtra farmers. Weeks prior, the BJP-led alliance decisively defeated Pawar's MVA in the state assembly elections. Although Pawar recently invited Modi to inaugurate a literary event, the topic wasn't discussed during their meeting.NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, weeks after the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was trounced in the assembly el...Read More
Hyderabad: BRS MLA Kalvakuntla Kavitha asked the state govt to clarify how the govt approached the World Bank for a loan of 4,100 crore and also sought 14,000 crore financial support from the Centre when the detailed project reports (DPRs) of the project were not prepared. Speaking in the legislative council during the question hour on Tuesday, the MLC said generally the govt asks for financial aid or loans after estimations are prepared, but the govt has been maintaining that no DPRs were prep...Read More
In the course of the investigation, NIA seized various arms, ammunition, narcotics and drug money, digital devices, and other incriminating articles from the accused. The National Investigation Agency has chargesheeted two key aides of designated terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa of the banned Babbar Khalsa International outfit in a Punjab terror conspiracy case, according to the probe agency on Wednesday. Jaspreet Singh of Punjab's Ferozepur district and Baljeet Singh of Madhya Pradesh's Ba...Read More
The Election Commission conducted a meeting with political party representatives in Delhi ahead of the upcoming assembly polls. Key figures attending included BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj and AAP's Raghav Chaddha. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar reviewed electoral readiness, highlighting the importance of collaboration with enforcement agencies. The Election Commission held a strategic meeting with political party representatives in central Delhi on Wednesday, preparing for the upcoming assemb...Read More
New Delhi [India], December 18 (ANI): Both houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day today amid protests by the Opposition on the remarks made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on B R Ambedkar. The MPs are set to meet on Thursday, the penultimate day of the winter session (December 19). HM Amit Shah, in his Rajya Sabha address at the conclusion of a two-day discussion on Constitution on Tuesday had lashed out at the Congress party and said that it had become a '...Read More
New Delhi, December 18: The Election Commission held a meeting with representatives of political parties in central Delhi on Wednesday, in the run-up to the assembly polls here due early next year. BJP MP from New Delhi Bansuri Swaraj, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chaddha and party leader Jasmin Shah attended the meeting. An election commission official said the meeting lasted for around half an hour and covered several topics. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar also reviewed poll preparednes...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 18 (VOICE) The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Wednesday gave a final opportunity till January 31, 2025 to employers to upload wage details regarding over 3.1 lakh pending applications for Pension on Higher Wages.Employers have also been requested to submit replies or update the information in 4.66 lakh cases by January 15, 2025 where clarification has been sought by the EPFO. The EPFO said that the final opportunity is being given as, in spite of so many extensi...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 18 (UNI) Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sandhu on Wednesday reviewed the poll preparedness for the upcoming Delhi Legislative Assembly election. "The review meeting with enforcement agencies is currently underway to ensure smooth conduct of the election," Election Commission of India tweeted. Earlier today, the Election Commission held consultations with representatives of political parties to discuss election-rel...Read More
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin on Wednesday (December 18, 2024) said only those who care about the country, its people, and safeguarding the Constitution would take the name of revolutionary B.R. Ambedkar. "They must utter the name of Ambedkar," he added. His remarks come amid the uproar in Parliament over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's reference to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar in his speech in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (December 17, 2024) while replying to the debate on the Co...Read More