India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
Srinagar- To ensure the safe and smooth conduct of the 38-day annual Amarnath Yatra, the Indian Army has rolled out Operation SHIVA 2025, deploying over 8,500 troops alongside advanced surveillance and combat technologies. According to official sources, the large-scale operation is being carried out in coordination with the Civil Administration and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). The multi-layered security cover has been activated across both the Baltal and Pahalgam routes, especially in view of heightened threat perceptions following Operation Sindoor and concerns over Pakistan-backed proxy elements. As part of the deployment, over 50 Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) and Electronic Warfare (EW) platforms have been placed to detect and neutralize drone-based threats. Real-time UAV surveillance and PTZ camera feeds are continuously monitoring Yatra convoys and the Holy Cave. Engineer task forces have been mobilised for infrastructure support, including bridge laying, track widening, and landslide mitigation. In terms of medical and emergency support, the operation includes: Additional support includes Signal Companies, EME detachments, Bomb Detection & Disposal Squads, and Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs). Emergency provisions for 25,000 people, along with tent cities, water supply units, and essential equipment have been arranged. The Army is also using real-time convoy tracking systems integrating drone and camera feeds, allowing faster threat response and better coordination among security agencies. Helicopters are on standby for rapid evacuations and emergency responses. "Operation SHIVA 2025 represents a comprehensive blend of manpower, technology, and preparedness to ensure a secure and spiritually fulfilling pilgrimage for lakhs of devotees," an official said. The Yatra, which began on July 3, will conclude on August 9. Over 18K Visit Cave Shrine On Friday Over 18,000 pilgrims on Friday paid obeisance to Lord Shiva at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. A total of 18,010 pilgrims had darshan at the 3800-metre high holy cave shrine on Friday, they said. The yatris included 12,838 males, 4,343 females, 223 children, 141 sadhus, eight sadhvis, two transgenders and 455 security forces personnel. So far, a total of 1,63,726 yatris have visited the cave shrine since the yatra started on July 3, the officials added.
PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) -- Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women from all across India flocked to the northern city of Prayagraj on Monday to kickstart the Maha Kumbh festival, which is being touted as the world's largest religious gathering. Over about the next six weeks, Hindu pilgrims will gather at the confluence of three sacred rivers -- the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati -- where they will take part in elaborate rituals, hoping to begin a journey to achieve Hindu philosophy's ultimate goal: the release from the cycle of rebirth. Here's what to know abo ...Read More >
Guwahati, Jun 5 (PTI) The Assam Congress on Thursday demanded a CBI inquiry into alleged illegal stone mining in Karbi Anglong district in violation of a Supreme Court order. Addressing a press conference here, former Rajya Sabha member Ripun Bora also alleged that Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang was allowing illegal activities in the district in nexus with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. "Large-scale illegal stone mining is taking place in the hills of Karbi Anglong in violation of the Supreme Court order. The SC had banned mining in and around K ...Read More >
Mumbai: The birth of three penguin chicks at Mumbai's Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo has sparked an unexpected row not over their care, but their names. BJP functionary Nitin Bankar from the Byculla Assembly constituency has objected to the chicks being given English names, insisting they be named in Marathi instead. The BMC is expected to respond by June 10, after which Bankar will decide his next move. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Bankar said, "When penguins were brought from abroad, we accepted that their names would be in English. But these chicks were born on the soil of M ...Read More >
Kanpur, January 27: Due to the massive influx of devotees for the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, Varanasi's District Magistrate in Uttar Pradesh has announced that all schools in the district will be closed from Monday, January 27, 2025, to Wednesday, February 5, 2025. The decision is aimed at ensuring the safety of students and managing traffic congestion caused by the large number of pilgrims arriving in Varanasi for the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025. Despite the school closures, online classes will continue as usual to maintain the academic schedule, News18 reported. This directive applies to all CBSE, ICSE ...Read More >
Uttarakhand (Dehradun) [India], May 19 (ANI): The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy rain in the hilly districts of Uttarakhand, effective today and tomorrow. In light of this warning, the Uttarakhand Police have issued a safety advisory for pilgrims undertaking the Chardham Yatra. Pilgrims are advised to exercise caution while travelling, consider the weather conditions, and call 112 in case of any emergency." Authorities are working to ensure public safety and minimise disruptions," said the police authorities. In light of the forecast, the Uttarakh ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The Pakistan high commission on Wednesday said it issued 84 visas to Indian pilgrims to visit the Shree Katas Raj temples in Punjab province's Chakwal district. The group has been given visas to visit the Katas Raj temples from December 19 to 25. The temples are also known as Qila Katas. It is a complex of several Hindu temples connected to one another by walkways. Under the provision of a bilateral protocol on visits to religious shrines, Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan every year.Pakistani pilgrims also visit India every year under the protocol. ...Read More >
Ladwa (Haryana) [India], May 22 (ANI): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday carried out the Tiranga Yatra to honour armed forces for Operation Sindoor. The CM, in his address to the people, stated that the rallies were occasions to pay true homage to the sense of patriotism and sacrifice. "Tiranga Yatra is being organised in Ladwa today. Tiranga Yatras are being organised across the country...These Yatras are not just events but occasions to pay true homage to the sense of patriotism and sacrifice...This Yatra is not just of the tricolour, this is a Yatra of our pledge, brave ...Read More >
New Delhi: Delhi Police has arrested three fraudsters from Rajasthan's Mewat for running a sextortion racket that extorted Rs 14 lakh from a man in the capital. The accused posed as Crime Branch officers, manipulated the victim into a compromising situation during a WhatsApp video call, and then used the footage to blackmail him over several days.According to police, the accused contacted the complainant via WhatsApp video call and played a pre-recorded obscene video featuring a woman. "The complainant told police officers that he was manipulated into getting nude, and subsequently, his video ...Read More >
Srinagar: Railway stations across the Kashmir Valley have been beautifully decked out as preparations peak for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to flag off the inaugural Delhi-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express -- the first-ever train connecting the valley directly to the rest of India. This landmark train will depart from Delhi and travel through Katra, the gateway to the revered Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, before reaching Srinagar. The event marks the successful culmination of one of India's most ambitious infrastructure projects, featuring two engineering marvels: the world's highest railway bridge o ...Read More >
New Delhi: Three Indian citizens vanished mysteriously in Tehran. Darkness closed in as hope seemed lost. A ruthless Pakistani gang with potential links to ISI snatched them away, casting a shadow of fear. But relentless Indian diplomats refused to back down. Against all odds, a daring rescue mission ignited. Now, the captives are free, and a chilling game of espionage comes to light. The Punjab-based trio - Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur, Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar and Hushnapreet Singh from Sangrur - had landed in Iran on May 1. Promised a clandestine route to Australia via Dubai and Tehra ...Read More >
The churning waters of the 21 Century maritime domain are no longer defined solely by steel-hulled might and firepower. Today, the true battleground lies in the unseen realms of algorithms, data streams and quantum states. The Indian Navy, a sentinel of the vast Indian Ocean Region (IOR), stands at the cusp of this technological revolution, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing to secure its maritime sovereignty and amplify its geopolitical influence. India's journey into this brave new world is both a strategic necessity and an audacious leap. With China's growing nav ...Read More >
India's housing market is booming, with 2024 projected to be the best year yet. Over 300,000 homes worth ₹510,000 crore are expected to be sold across the top seven cities, driven by economic growth and infrastructure improvements. Sales in the first nine months already reached nearly 230,000 homes, indicating continued robust demand and rising capital values.India's housing property market continues to remain on a strong footing, with the year 2024 expected to end as the best year ever in term ...Read More >
Kottayam (Kerala), Dec 12 (PTI) The historic struggle for equality that took place in Vaikom a century ago, popularly known as the Vaikom Satyagraha, was not a movement confined to Kerala but marked the starting point for various other struggles for social justice, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Thursday. In his address at Vaikom in this district after inaugurating the renovated Thanthai Periyar Memorial and Periyar Library, Stalin said that while impressive strides have been made in areas of social justice and economy in 100 years, a lot more has to be achieved. Stalin inaugur ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 27 (UNI) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has released its manifesto for the next month Assembly election with 15 guarantees, including employment and the women's dignity scheme. While releasing the manifesto on Monday, AAP's national convener and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "Kejriwal's guarantees are solid," emphasising that free electricity for 24 hours, free water, free education, free pilgrimage for senior citizens, free bus travel for women, and free medical treatment in hospitals and Mohalla Clinics will continue in Delhi. He alleged, "BJP leaders and spokespersons ...Read More >
Puri (Odisha), Feb 4 (PTI) Thousands of people took a holy dip at Chandrabhaga at Konark in Odisha's Puri district on the occasion of 'Magha Saptami' on Tuesday. Magha Saptami is observed as the birthday of the Sun God and is held on the seventh day of 'Magha' month of the Hindu calendar. People offer prayer to 'Tri Mahadev' after taking a dip at the confluence of Chandrabhaga River and the Bay of Bengal. Devotees also offer puja at 'Naba Graha' on the premises of the Sun temple at Konark. This year, the holy dip started at 4.37 am and the sadhus were given the first opportunity to take a d ...Read More >
Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 5 (ANI): Pointing out the developmental works done by the Centre and his administration in Ayodhya, where Ram Janmabhoomi Temple is located, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that earlier bullets were fired on people coming to the city, but now people visiting the temple were welcomed with a shower of flowers. The Chief Minister was apparently referring to the police firing on karsevaks during the Ram Janmabhoomi protest in 1990. Also Read | World Environment Day 2025: Italian Deputy PM Antonio Tajani Lauds PM Narendra Modi's ...Read More >
Drones and remote sensing technology Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) are being used to map the 620 acres densely populated Dharavi slums In a first for any slum rehabilitation project in India, the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) has embraced cutting-edge technologies to survey and document Asia's largest slum, officials said. Drones and remote sensing technology Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) are being used to map the 620 acres densely populated Dharavi slums. This is to ensure accuracy, transparency, and efficiency in a redevelopment project of this scale and complexity. The D ...Read More >
Guwahati, June 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) The flood situation in Assam marginally improved on Thursday, while the situation further improved in other northeastern states, an official said. With two more fresh deaths in Assam, the death toll in seven states, excluding Sikkim, of the region increased to 48. According to the disaster management officials of different northeastern states, out of 48 deaths during the current spell of rain and floods since May 29, at least 21 people died in Assam, followed by 12 in Arunachal Pradesh, six in Meghalaya, five in Mizoram, two in Tripura and one each in Nagalan ...Read More >
Patna, Dec 13 (VOICE) The Bihar Public Service Commission 70th Preliminary Combined Examination will be conducted at 912 centres in the state on Friday.With these examinations, 2,031 posts in various government departments will be filled. A total of 4.80 lakh candidates have applied for the examinations, scheduled to start at noon and end at 2.00 p.m. The commission has issued guidelines for the candidates appearing for the examinations. The guidelines are: "Candidates are asked to bring two printed copies of their admit card, of which, the invigilator will keep one, proof of original ID is ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Gundicha Temple, where the deities of Jagannath temple were born, is being prepared for a visual transformation through enhancement work before Rath Yatra on June 27."The beautification work includes stone-cladding of the outer boundary wall, landscaping and illumination arrangements to welcome the deities at their place of birth during Rath Yatra. The aesthetic transformation will give a visual delight to the deities and devotees," chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Arabinda Kumar Padhee told TOI.The temple's exterior boundary wall, previously co ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday expressed her sorrow over the havoc wreaked by Cyclone Fengal in south India including Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Offering her condolences to those who lost their loved ones, Vadra appealed to the Congress workers to work with the administration in relief work amid the crisis. "Deeply saddened by the devastation caused by Cyclone Fengal in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. My prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and those facing immense loss and hardship. I appeal to all Congress workers to join hands with ...Read More >
Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 8 (ANI): In preparation for the grand Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, a mock drill was conducted in the Akhada area to enhance emergency preparedness and ensure the safety of participants and attendees. The drill carried out under the guidance of Police Additional Director General (ADG) Vaibhav Krishna, IPS was aimed to address potential emergency situations that may arise during the event. Also Read | Microsoft Partners With Government's 'India AI Mission' to Skill 5 Lakh People by 2026. The exercise was designed to simulate various emergency scenarios, foc ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) Markets regulator Sebi on Friday barred two individuals from the securities market for one year and impounded illegal gains of over Rs 2.60 crore made by them from indulging in insider trading in the scrip of Infosys. Those restrained by Sebi are, Keyur Maniar, who was the alleged insider trader, and Ramit Chaudhri, a former employee of Infosys, according to an order passed by capital markets regulator Sebi. Apart from securities market ban, the regulator also slapped a fine of Rs 30 lakh each on Keyur Maniar and Chaudhri and directed them to pay the fine within 45 da ...Read More >
Chaten (Sikkim) [India], June 3 (ANI): In a successful rescue operation, a group of 34 stranded individuals, including injured Army personnel, their family members, and tourists, were air evacuated from Chaten and safely landed at Pakyong Greenfield Airport. The evacuation mission was carried out by two MI-17 V5 helicopters, marking a crucial step in providing relief to those affected, as per the Government of Sikkim. Meanwhile, on June 2, Stranded tourists in Lachung were actively evacuated through a coordinated effort involving the police, residents, forest personnel, and the Lachung Hotel ...Read More >
Katra: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said the political will shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in over a decade led to the completion of the 272-km Udhampur-Baramulla-Srinagar Railway link (USBRL) project to connect Kashmir with rest of the country. On Friday, the prime minister is scheduled to inaugurate the world's tallest railway bridge over Chenab and the country's first cable-stayed railway Anji Bridge before flagging off two Vande Bharat trains - one from Katra to Srinagar and another from Kashmir to Katra. Modi will also lay the foundation of and dedicate to the na ...Read More >
Mangaluru, Jan 17 (PTI) A gang of armed robbers looted valuables estimated over Rs 4 crore from the Sahakari Sangh Bank in Kotekar, Mangaluru, on Friday, police said. This comes close on the heels of two unidentified armed robbers on a bike shooting dead two security guards and fleeing with Rs 93 lakh in cash meant for filling an ATM in Bidar, the northernmost district headquarters of the state, on Thursday. The Mangaluru heist occurred between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm, with the assailants fleeing in a blue Fiat car, police said. According to the police, a group of five to six masked men, aged ...Read More >
A recent letter from a senior Indian Army general has sparked controversy, highlighting several concerns regarding women officers commanding army units in the sensitive eastern sector. The five-page letter, written by Lieutenant General Rajeev Puri, Corps Commander, to Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Ram Chander Tiwari, addresses various issues reportedly plaguing the leadership of women officers in operational units. These issues range from officer management and a sense of entitlement to lack of empathy, over-ambition, and complaints about command styles. The letter, dated October ...Read More >
Ramnagar, Uttarakhand: The wilderness of Corbett Tiger Reserve may be testaments to tales of majestic tigers and thriving biodiversity, but for the women living around its periphery, these greens echo concerns about privacy and freedom. Their lives, long intertwined with the forest, are under constant vigil of unrelenting gaze. Surveillance cameras, once meant only for tigers, now seem to watch them too! Trishant Simlai, a researcher from University of Cambridge who conducted a gargantuan study on the easy gaze of technology on women, sheds light on the unintended consequence of conservation ...Read More >
Discover the divine origins of the Maha Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years at Prayagraj, and uncover 5 fascinating secrets rooted in the ancient tale of Samudra Manthan and the Amrit Kalash. The Maha Kumbh Mela is more than a spiritual gathering; it is a living embodiment of ancient Pauranic kathas, faith, and celestial significance. Held at four sacred locations -- Haridwar, Nashik, Ujjain, and Prayagraj -- the festival attracts millions of devotees seeking spiritual awakening and divine blessings ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar highlighted Bengaluru's dominance in India's aerospace sector during the inauguration of the 15th edition of Aero India, claiming the city controls more than 60% of the country's aerospace manufacturing and defence research operations. He stressed Karnataka's critical role in India's aerospace ambitions, noting that the state contributes 67% of aircraft and helicopter manufacturing for defence services and 65% of aerospace-related exports. In an appeal to defence minister Rajnath Singh, Shivakumar called for incentives to establish complete airc ...Read More >