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.
Bhubaneswar, July 18: The Odisha Higher Education Department on Friday directed all state public and private universities, as well as government, aided, and unaided degree colleges under its jurisdiction, to take urgent steps to ensure that Women Helpline number is displayed prominently at important locations on their respective campuses. The department through an official letter issued on Friday instructed all the higher educational institutions to ensure the mandatory and prominent display of the women's helpline number "181" at strategic locations within their campuses. Balasore Self-Immolation Case: Shops Shut, Traffic Disrupted As Congress and BJD Workers Observe Bandh Over Student's Death After Facing Harassment in College (See Pics and Video). The department also shared a soft copy of the display design instructing immediate compliance of the order. This apart, the higher educational institutions have also been asked to organise sensitisation workshops on of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013 and UGC Regulations, 2015. These workshops must involve teaching and non-teaching staff, Internal Committee (IC) members, and students. Balasore Student Self-Immolation Case: Girl Student Sets Herself on Fire Over Harassment by Professor, Principal Suspended in Odisha; Disturbing Video Surfaces. The department also directed the educational institutions to ensure that a pledge will be taken by the participants to abide by the principles enshrined in the POSH Act, 2013 and the UGC regulations during the sensitization programme. The Universities and colleges have been asked to organise the sensitization programmes within three days of issuance of this official letter. Notably, the Odisha Higher Education Department has a few days ago issued an urgent directive to all state public and private universities, as well as government, aided, and unaided degree colleges to submit reports regarding the constitution and functioning of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) under Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013. The issue of women's safety on the campus of higher educational institutions has recently taken center stage in Odisha after the tragic death of a girl student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, following self-immolation attempt over alleged sexual harassment by one of the faculty members. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 18, 2025 11:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
BJP member Manas Dutta blamed the previous BJD government and held it responsible for not extending their service agreement which ended in April, 2024. As hundreds of women working as support staff under the Mission Shakti department staged a demonstration outside the Assembly over different issues, the opposition BJD on Monday demanded immediate release of their salaries. While the agitating women were shouting slogans at the Mahatma Gandhi Road leading to the Assembly, the issue was raised in ...Read More >
Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and Union minister JP Nadda on Thursday said that the Chair should not be questioned or criticised about admissibility, calling it contempt of the House and Chairman. He also condemned Mallikarjun Kharge for criticising the Chair in a press conference the day before, calling it wrong. "The Chair cannot be questioned with regard to admissibility or for any other purposes. The Chairman's ruling cannot be questioned or criticised; to do so is contempt of the Hous ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 13 (ANI): Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Friday slammed the 'One Nation, One Election' being passed by the Union Cabinet, calling it an "attack on federalism." "The Congress party has already cleared its stand as One Nation One Election is an attack on federalism and there should be a discussion on the election process in the parliament," he said. The 'One Nation One Election' bill was approved by the Union Cabinet on Thursday paving the way for its introduction in Parliament. However, before its introduction in the Parliament, the bill initiated debate between the r ...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 >
Rahul Gandhi criticized the RSS after its general secretary, Dattatreya Hosabale, suggested reviewing the terms "socialist" and "secular" in the Constitution's Preamble. Gandhi alleged the RSS prefers "Manusmriti" over the Constitution, aiming to deprive marginalized communities of their rights. He vowed to defend the Constitution against the RSS's alleged agenda.leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the mask of the RSS has come off again as it wants "Manusmriti" and not the Constitution, after the ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: BJP leader Amit Malviya on Tuesday accused Rahul Gandhi of being "so arrogant that he did not even greet the President" during the 75th Constitution Day event held in Parliament. This comes as the grand old party has often voiced its criticism against the saffron party for not inviting President Droupadi Murmu at the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building last year and Ram Temple consecration this year. "Rahul Gandhi is so arrogant that he did not even greet the President. Just because she comes from the tribal community, is a woman and Rahul Gandhi is the prince of ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJD and Congress MLAs Tuesday staged a walkout from the Odisha assembly, accusing the ruling BJP of failing to control prices of essential commodities and resolve the potato crisis in the state. The issues were debated in the House over the admissibility of an adjournment motion moved by the Opposition on price rise of vegetables, pulses, edible oil and fuel. The opposition members took exception to comments made by Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister K C Patra that adverse climate conditions, rates in international and domestic markets, and less production by ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly on Tuesday witnessed a noisy scene as Opposition BJD and Congress members held protests inside the House over alleged non-payment of salaries to around 60,000 women supporting staffers under the 'Mission Shakti' scheme. Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik accused the BJP government of "conspiring to stop" salaries of the 'Mission Shakti' staff. As soon as the Question Hour began, the BJD and Congress members trooped to the well of the House and demanded immediate release of salaries of around 60,000 women supporting staff working under the 'Mission Shakti' sch ...Read More >
Delhi Elections 2025: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has once again targeted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday, ridiculing his 2019 promise to transform Delhi into a city as beautiful as Paris or London. Gandhi shared a video on X (formerly Twitter), showing himself walking alongside a garbage-filled canal in Delhi, captioning it, "This is Kejriwal's 'shining' Delhi-Delhi like Paris." In the video, Gandhi commented, "The situation is the same everywhere," alluding to the state of public spaces in the national capital. During the 2019 Lok Sabha ele ...Read More >
Bengaluru Power Cuts: Citizens of Bengaluru brace yourself for long hours of power outages from June 29 and June 30. More than 100 areas will be impacted as BESCOM undertakes its quarterly maintenance work in various of its division. Bengaluru Power Outages June 29: According to the update by BESCOM on its X handler, there will be power outages in Kittaganahalli, Palasandra, Saptagiri, Maruthinagar, Sankapur, Raghavendra Nagar, Goolarivee, Baddihalli, Kesaramadu, C.M Badawan, Kalalli and SKS village on June 29 from 10 am to 5 pm. BESCOM's executive engineer has appealed to consumers to coop ...Read More >
Puri, Jun 29 (PTI) At least three persons, including two women, were killed and around 50 others injured in a stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple in Odisha's Puri on Sunday morning, officials said. The incident took place around 4 am when hundreds of devotees gathered near the temple to witness Rath Yatra festivities, Puri District Collector Siddharth S Swain said. The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital, and the condition of six people is critical, he said. "Out of the 50 injured, six people are still unconscious and their condition is very serious," an official of the medical ...Read More >
Proceedings in both houses of the Parliament came to halt on Wednesday amid protests by Oppostion members over the Adani Bribery controversy, recent violence in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh and other issues. Lok Sabha proceedings were initially adjourned until 12 noon and later until Thursday, as Opposition members, including those from Congress, protested and sought to raise various issues at the start of the session. Some members from the Congress and Samajwadi Party were in the Well while other Opposition members stood in the aisle and shouted slogans. The Opposition members wanted to discus ...Read More >
In a heart-wrenching incident, a 30-year-old Dalit youth, who was brutally thrashed, succumbed to his injuries during treatment at a hospital in the Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, and four people have been arrested in this connection. The incident occurred under the jurisdiction of Subhashpura police station on Tuesday, however, the matter came to light after a video surfaced on social media showing four persons beating the youth with sticks and pipes mercilessly. In the video, the victim, identified as Vishnu Jatav, was seen being thrashed by a group of men in a field in Indergarh vil ...Read More >
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, along with INDIA bloc leaders launched a no-holds-barred attack on the chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday, holding him responsible for the repeated stalling and disruption of the House, apparently over his 'headmaster-type attitude' and treatment of 'Parliament like a school.' In a joint press conference held by Congress and its allies, Mallikarjun Kharge hurled serious accusations at V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar and said, 'The biggest disruptor of the House is the chairman himself.' He accused the Rajya Sabha chairman of partisa ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Hague-based Court of Arbitration (CoA), examining the design of Kishanganga and Ratle hydropower projects at Pakistan's behest, in a 'supplementary award' declared that it was competent to address the dispute under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) despite India's decision to put the agreement in abeyance. India, however, firmly rejected this order, terming the court itself as "illegal" - a position taken much before the Pahalgam attacks. New Delhi had decided to cooperate only with neutral expert, asserting that two simultaneous processes cannot be in play. "This latest charade a ...Read More >
Gandhinagar, Feb 4 (PTI) The BJP government in Gujarat on Tuesday formed a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to assess the need for the Uniform Civil Code in the state, and also draft a bill for the same. While the Opposition said the decision was aimed at diverting attention from pressing issues ahead of the upcoming local body polls, the government claimed rights of the tribal communities will be protected if the UCC is implemented. The five-member committee, to be headed by Justice (retd) Ranjana Desai, will submit its report within 45 days, following which a decision abou ...Read More >
Kolkata/Bhubaneswar: Trinamool Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra tied the knot with former BJD MP Pinaki Misra on May 30 in a quiet ceremony in Berlin. The couple is expected to return to India by the end of June. After photographs of Moitra's wedding went viral on social media, the MP on Thursday evening posted on her X handle, "Thank you everyone for the love and good wishes!! So grateful."News of the wedding, kept under wraps for nearly a week, broke on social media with multiple photographs of the Berlin wedding. According to party sources, Moitra had informed the party leadership about her wed ...Read More >
Srinagar, June 7: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Saturday, congratulated the University of Kashmir for getting an A++ grade in the NAAC inspection. The Lt Governor extended his heartiest congratulations to the Vice Chancellor, faculty, staff, and students of the University of Kashmir for attaining the prestigious A++ Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), and securing an outstanding Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.68 on a seven-point scale. Calling it a proud moment for J&K UT, the Lt Governor said, "The A++ Grade places the Un ...Read More >
Digha: A day after Rath Yatra, the festive fervour continues in Digha as the seaside town is now gearing up to host Ulta Rath or the return journey of the deities from the 'Masir Bari' or the old Jagannath temple. On July 5 -- the Ulta Rath day -- hotels are hoping for fresh tourist influx. Though the deities are currently in Masir Bari, a large queue of devotees visited the newly-constructed Jagannath temple on Saturday. They offered prayers to the stone idol permanently installed there. It is the wooden idols of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra that have taken the chairot rides. Bipradash Cha ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) The Congress on Sunday attacked the Centre and Rajasthan governments over the reported plan to redraw the boundaries of the Sariska Tiger Reserve for the reactivation of over 50 mining operations, saying the move would be "ecologically devastating". The opposition party also said that with the Rajasthan and Union environment ministers both being from Alwar, this "double engine" cannot be supporting such a move. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which claimed that a plan to redraw the boundaries of Rajasthan's ...Read More >
Rajgir, June 06 (UNI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday expressed his doubt over the intention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the caste census, saying he would not allow emerge true picture of the prevailing scenario on social dynamics in the country. Gandhi, while addressing a conference organised on the theme of "save the constitution ", said that Prime Minister Modi was not sincere and his intention was not clear on the caste census, as he had promised to do it in the country. Initially, he was not at all prepared for the caste census at the national level, but under his continue ...Read More >
Silchar: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday visited the flood-ravaged districts of Hailakandi and Sribhumi in the Barak Valley. He assured affected residents of providing timely disbursement of rehabilitation grants and swift repair of damaged infrastructure.This marks Sarma's second visit to the flood-hit region within four days, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Speaking to the media in Sribhumi after inspecting multiple relief camps, the CM said, "Flood-related problems may persist till July. I will return before Durga Puja to ensure that roads and infrastructure ar ...Read More >
Mumbai: As the Centre marks the 50th anniversary of the Emergency as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas', Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) faction leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday defended the Emergency imposed in 1975, saying it was not a "black day" for democracy. Speaking to the mediapersons, Raut said, "Look, people say that the Emergency imposed is a black day for the democracy and the constitution of the country. We do not believe this. Balasaheb Thackeray openly supported the Emergency. The day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in this country was a black day for the country. The day we stopped the war un ...Read More >
New Delhi: India on Friday "categorically rejected" a "supplemental award" issued by the World Bank-appointed Court of Arbitration regarding its competence to hear disputes related to the Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir. These projects are at the center of a long-standing disagreement between India and Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960, which India placed in abeyance two months ago following the Pahalgam terror attack. In a strongly worded statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said: "Today, the illegal Court of Arbitration, purport ...Read More >
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], December 2 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) President Farooq Abdullah claimed that Muslims are feeling unsafe and stated that there is no discrimination based on religion, as guaranteed by the Constitution. The former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir also said that the government should treat Muslims without any discrimination. "...There is no doubt that Muslims are feeling unsafe. I will ask the govt of India to stop that. 24 crore Muslims cannot be thrown into the ocean. They (the govt) should treat Muslims equally, there is no di ...Read More >
NDIA bloc leaders, who submitted a notice of no-confidence motion against the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday, blamed the chair for not allowing them to speak in the Rajya Sabha. The leaders held a joint press conference labelling several charges against the chairman. "His behaviour (RS chairman) has damaged the dignity of the country. He has brought such a situation in the history of parliamentary democracy that we had to bring this notice for the resolution (of no confidence ...Read More >
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government's policies and decisions were aimed at boosting India's strength and unity in line with the Constitution, while the opposition Congress had "tasted blood" by repeatedly wounding it.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government's policies and decisions were aimed at boosting India's strength and unity in line with the Constitution, while the opposition Congress had "tasted blood" by repeatedly wounding it. Replying to a t ...Read More >
MUMBAI/LUCKNOW: Backing the call for a uniform civil code in India, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath quoted on Sunday a recent statement by Allahabad HC judge Shekhar Kumar Yadav at an event in Mumbai to assert that "majority sentiments are respected globally". Speaking at a the World Hindu Economic Forum-2024 event in Mumbai, the CM attacked the Congress-headed opposition, saying that by the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code the difference between majority and minority communities needs ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a setback for former minister and Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni, the Supreme Court Friday cancelled the bail granted to him in relation to BJP zilla panchayat member Yogeshgowdar murder case on grounds of attempts to influence witnesses. He was directed to surrender before the trial court or the jail authority within a month's time."It would suffice to state that there is sufficient material on record to suggest that attempts have been made by the respondent to either contact witnesses or, alternatively, influence them," a vacation bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Sathish Chandra ...Read More >
Gurgaon: A chemist and a lab operator have been arrested for allegedly selling medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) kits illegally. Two separate FIRs were lodged against the accused at Sector 10 and Sector 9A police stations, police said on Friday.The pharmacy was sealed and medical officials have initiated proceedings to cancel its licence. District drugs control officer Suresh Verma said the department received information about illegal sales of MTP kits - also called abortion kits - from Juneja Chemist, located near Civil Hospital. A pregnant woman, who was deployed as a decoy customer, v ...Read More >