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WARANGAL/KARIMNAGAR: The nine-day floral festival of Bathukamma concluded on a grand note, with lakhs of women celebrating Saddula Bathukamma in the erstwhile Warangal and Karimnagar districts. The unique cultural festival, which reveres nature, witnessed colourful immersions and traditional gaiety at local lakes and ponds. The festival began on Mahalaya Amavasya with Engili Poola Bathukamma and culminated on Ashtami Tithi with the celebrations of Saddula Bathukamma. Before the Bathukamma festivities, unmarried girls worshipped a clay idol called Boddemma for nine days, singing songs about marriage before immersing it on the ninth day. Bathukamma celebrations begin the day after Boddemma's immersion. From early morning, women decorated their front yards with rangolis and prepared Bathukammas using exotic flowers, often involving their daughters to pass on Telangana's unique cultural tradition to the next generation. Two Bathukammas were usually prepared, a large one representing the mother and a smaller one representing the daughter. They were beautifully arranged with locally available flowers such as Thangedu, Gunugu, Banti, and Chamanti. The floral arrangement is revered as Gauramma, the giver of life in Shaiva tradition, and as Sri Lakshmi, the giver of wealth in Vaishnava tradition. In the evening, women and their daughters, dressed in traditional attire, gathered at local ponds and lakes. After placing Bathukammas in the centre, they sang traditional songs that were simple, rhythmic, and poetic, capturing the essence of family, human relationships, and social values. The celebrations concluded with women exchanging turmeric and kumkum, along with sattu pindi, a health-focused mix of peanuts, jaggery, dry coconut, and sesame. This was followed by the ceremonial immersion of Bathukammas in water. The immersion ritual also holds ecological significance, as the medicinal properties of the flowers are believed to purify water bodies. Meanwhile, officials made elaborate arrangements at lakes and tanks, including the installation of high-mast lights, barricades, and deployment of volunteers to assist women in immersing their Bathukammas. Police in both districts enforced strict security measures and deployed swimming experts to prevent any untoward incidents.
Srinagar, Nov 27 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir's Road Transport Corporation (RTC), a crucial backbone of public transportation, has raised serious concerns over the barring of its buses from entering Srinagar city limits. The move has triggered alarm within the Corporation, with officials cautioning about significant disruptions to public transport services and daily commutes, alongside substantial financial losses for the RTC. The restriction, in effect since November 4 when the maiden session of the Assembly commenced, is causing a daily revenue loss of Rs. 4 lakh to the Corporation. In a lette ...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 >
Bhimavaram: West Godavari district collector Chadalawada Nagarani said that in addition to planting trees to improve greenery, efforts are being made to control plastic pollution. On Thursday, to celebrate World Environment Day, a large-scale programme was taken up in the district to plant saplings and remove plastic waste from canals and drains under 'Vanam-Manam.' As part of this, collector Nagarani, District Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi, district Joint Collector T Rahul Kumar Reddy, DRO Mogili Venkateswarlu, and district officials from various departments enthusiastically pa ...Read More >
New Delhi: The first warship in the anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft series, equipped to conduct subsurface surveillance, search and rescue missions, and low-intensity maritime operations, is set to be inducted into the Indian Navy on June 18, officials said on Friday. The commissioning ceremony of 'Arnala' at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam will be presided over by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan. "The warship incorporates more than 80 per cent indigenous content and integrates advanced systems from leading Indian defence firms, including Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), L& ...Read More >
Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday unveiled an ambitious vision to transform Visakhapatnam into a new Mumbai over the next seven years. He directed officials to develop the 'Visakha Economic Region' as AP's primary growth engine, aiming for a staggering $120 billion economy from this region by 2032. The proposed economic region encompasses eight districts, including Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, East Godavari, Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR), and Manyam. The Chief Minister has instructed the officials to launch projects that will significantl ...Read More >
Chennai, June 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has sanctioned Rs 54.36 crore to the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) under the Vada Chennai Valarchi Thittam (VCVT) to implement seven key infrastructure and welfare projects. The initiative aims to enhance police capabilities and community outreach, particularly in the northern parts of the city. The decision to allocate funds was taken following a detailed representation made by senior GCP officials to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who directed that the required financial assistance be provided under the VCVT ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 15 (ANI): Godrej Agrovet informed stock exchanges that the Gujarat government has allotted area to it in three districts for the expansion of oil palm cultivation under the palm oil mission. Those three districts are Vadodara, Surat, and Tapi, the company informed stock exchanges in a filing late on Saturday. The filing didn't elaborate further details about the allotment of land. India is the world's second-largest consumer and number one vegetable oil importer, and it meets 60 per cent of its need through imports. A large part of it is palm oil and its derivativ ...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 >
Raipur/Hyderabad: Barely a fortnight after gunning down CPI(Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, security forces shot dead his long-time aide, central committee member Sudhakar alias Tentu Lakshmi Narasimha Chalam -- the banned outfit's ideological chief -- in a forest in Bastar's Bijapur district Thursday morning.Born into a middle class family in Andhra Pradesh's Eluru district, Sudhakar, 67, carried a collective bounty of Rs 85 lakh in Chhattisgarh, Telangana and AP. He is the third central committee member to be killed in Bastar this year after Jai Ram alias Chal ...Read More >
Rajamahendravaram: As part of World Environment Day celebrations, a major initiative to plant 4 lakh saplings across the district has been launched, district collector P Prasanthi announced on Thursday. She called on everyone to protect these saplings for the benefit of future generations. The main event was held at the Government Arts College campus in Rajahmundry under the aegis of the Forest Department, where the district collector participated as the chief guest. Chief Conservator of Forests BNN Murthy and other senior officials were also present. Speaking on the occasion, collector Prasa ...Read More >
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed the officials to develop 'Visakha Economic Region' as the growth engine of Andhra Pradesh, with an aim to transforming it into a USD 120 billion economic region by 2032. He emphasised the need to develop Visakhapatnam on the lines of Mumbai in the next seven years. The Economic Region consists of eight districts including Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, East Godavari, ASR, and Manyam. The Chief Minister instructed officials to develop projects that would boost economic activity across this eight-distri ...Read More >
Guwahati: The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 has highlighted a notable increase in school enrolment in rural Assam and significant improvement in digital literacy and better learning outcome compared to the 2022 ASER results. The survey, facilitated by Pratham foundation, covered 24,275 children across 780 villages in 26 districts. The 14th nationwide field based ASER survey was conducted across over 17,000 villages across the country, comprising over 6.49 lakh students in the age group of 3-16 years. The ASER results released on Tuesday has shown a rising trend in enrolment i ...Read More >
Andhra Pradesh government launched a massive greening campaign on World Environment Day, initiating "Vana Mahotsav" and an "End Plastic Pollution" drive. The goal is to increase the state's green cover from 29 to 50 percent by planting one crore saplings statewide. The initiative includes advanced monitoring and aims to achieve 37 percent green cover by 2029.The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday launched a massive greening campaign to mark World Environment Day, aiming to increase the state's ...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 >
Guwahati/Morigaon, Jun 6 (PTI) The flood situation in Assam continued to be critical with over 5.6 lakh people reeling under the deluge in 16 districts, an official bulletin said on Friday. The toll in this year's floods and landslides stands at 21, with two more deaths reported on Thursday. Also Read | Thane Shocker: Wife Booked for Hurling Hot Oil on Autorickshaw Driver During Fight Over Domestic Issues in Kalyan. Wildlife has also been affected with nearly 70 per cent of the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district facing inundation, an official said. The Regional Meteorological ...Read More >
Heavy rains across Tamil Nadu have led to school closures in several districts, including Chennai, on Thursday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert, predicting moderate rains and light thunderstorms in parts of the state. Rainfall figures show significant precipitation in multiple areas. Meanwhile, Northern India braces for a cold wave beginning December 9, with the IMD forecasting plunging temperatures in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.Schools acros ...Read More >
Bihar's infrastructure has seen a 15-fold increase in data consumption over the past five years. Road density is now the third highest in India, electricity generation has increased tenfold, and IT parks and data centers are being developed. Numerous bridges and expanded rail lines are improving connectivity and boosting trade.Bihar has seen a 15-fold jump in data consumption in the last five years as the state goes big on developing infrastructure, investing in connectivity and building rail and ...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 >
Mumbai, Jun 5 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday inaugurated the final 76-km-long stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg, making the entire 701-km Mumbai-Nagpur corridor fully functional and bringing down the travel time between the two cities to 8 hours from around 18 hours. Fadnavis described the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg as an "engineering marvel" and said this "economic corridor" would play a vital role in the state's development. Fadnavis said by connecting the expressway with the proposed Vadhvan port, they are planning to develop it as an "economic corrid ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Former head of Air India and chairman of the Railway Board Ashwani Lohani is the new Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) director. The official order for his appointment was issued on Wednesday. A 1980-batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), Lohani is known for turning around various organisations during his illustrious career. Following his retirement from IRSME service, he joined the GMR Group as the CEO. According to the order dated June 4, his appointment to the post of director, Prime Ministers Museum and Library in the rank and pa ...Read More >
BHUBANESWAR : Unable to regulate retail price of the potato even after normal flow of the tuber from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, the state government has decided to provide the kitchen essential to consumers at a subsidised rate through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED). In the first phase of its market intervention initiative, the state government has procured 60 tonnes of potato from Uttar Pradesh through NAFED and the same will be available ...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 >
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], June 5 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel graced the distribution ceremony of 50 JCB machines organised by the Bharwad Yuva Sangathan - Gujarat Pradesh, held at Town Hall in Gandhinagar on Thursday. During the event, 50 economically disadvantaged youths from the Bharwad community were provided with JCB machines without any down payment, as part of an initiative to empower them towards self-reliance, according to the press release. Commending the efforts of the organization, the Chief Minister stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always emphas ...Read More >
Guwahati: The flood situation across Assam continues to be critical, with over 5.6 lakh people in 16 districts reeling under the severe flood, an official bulletin confirmed on Friday. The cumulative death toll from this year's floods and landslides has now climbed to 21, following two more fatalities reported on Thursday. Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge! The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) bulletin stated that floodwaters are currently submerging 57 revenue circles and 1,406 villages, impacting a total of 5,61,644 individuals ...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 >
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 >
FEROZEPUR: A Bolero pickup and a canter collided in Punjab's near village Mohan's Utaad, near Guru Har Sahai, District Ferozepur in the early hours leaving 9 dead and 11 people injured. At the time of the tragic accident, Bolero pickup was carrying waiters to a catering event, going from Guru Har Sahai towards Jalalabad. While, the injured people were taken to the hospital by the police with the help of passersby, the bodies of the dead were found scattered on the road. Although the police is investigating the whole matter, they suspect the accident happened when the pickup went out of contr ...Read More >
Hyderabad: With the early onset of pre-monsoon showers, farmers across Telangana have started their agricultural activities ahead of schedule. However, the agriculture department is facing strong criticism for failing to provide adequate fertilizers and seeds necessary for the current season. According to officials, there is a significant shortfall in the availability of essential inputs like urea and cotton seeds, which may negatively impact crop planning and productivity across the state. Also Read: Madhuri Dixit Recalls 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' Magic with Salman Khan as Monsoon Arrives For ...Read More >
Sonitpur (Assam) [India], June 6 (ANI): As the swelling Brahmaputra's raging floodwaters submerge vast areas of Tezpur, local residents are demanding immediate action from the state government to prevent further soil erosion and houses from getting washed away. A local resident said, "One or two houses have been washed away. In the Bhomoraguri village, under the Tezpur Legislative Assembly constituency, Sonitpur district, a large portion of land along with many homes at Bairagi Tila has been swallowed by the river, leaving everyone in a state of panic. Similarly, due to the intense erosion by ...Read More >
Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday that he held discussions on cabinet expansion with union home minister Amit Shah, party national president J P Nadda, and the party national general secretary B L Santhosh on Wednesday night. Fadnavis was on a two-day visit to Delhi days after being sworn in as chief minister. He met President Draupudi Murmu, PM Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh and union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari. He also presented five different ...Read More >