Patna, Jun 26 (PTI) CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has written to the Election Commission urging that the proposed "special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar" be put on hold, the party said on Thursday. According to a statement issued by the party, the Left leader has termed the exercise as "impracticable" in the state where assembly elections are expected to be announced in a couple of months from now. In his letter, Bhattacharya has voiced apprehensio...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) Union minister B L Verma on Thursday called for collective societal efforts to combat the menace of substance abuse. Addressing an event on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Verma, the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, underscored the far-reaching consequences of drug abuse. "Repercussions of substance abuse are not confined to the individual and his family, they ripple outward, affecting communities and co...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) A decision on India's bid for the 2036 Olympics is set to take longer than expected as the International Olympic Committee's new President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday announced a "pause" on the entire process and set up a working group to figure out the "appropriate time" to identify a future host. In an online press conference after taking over as the first woman and the first African President of the IOC, the former Olympic champion swimmer said the consensus among the...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday launched the country's first non-banking financial company in the maritime sector -- Sagarmala Finance Corporation Ltd (SMFCL). As a sector-specific NBFC, SMFCL is set to bridge financing gaps in the maritime sector and catalyse economic growth, the minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said. The corporation will provide financial products -- including short, medium, and long-term funding -- to a diverse range of stakeho...Read More
Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), June 26 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said declared a crackdown on drug peddling, warning that the state will seize the assets of those involved in the illegal trade. Marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking here, Naidu said, "I am issuing an ultimatum to people growing and shipping ganja (marijuana). Whether you grow it or bring it from outside, I will not spare." The CM said he will use the seized a...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday flagged off a new weekly express train from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh to Bengaluru in Karnataka through video conferencing from here. According to the railway ministry, the train would depart at 3 pm every Friday and reach the capital of Bengaluru at 7.35 am on Sunday. On the way back, it would depart from Bengaluru at 3.50 pm every Sunday and reach Gwalior at 10.25 am on Tuesday. According to the Ministry, the weekly train ...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 26 (PTI) The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Thursday said they will oppose all attempts to impose Hindi on students of the state and asserted it was an attempt by the ruling dispensation to foist "language emergency" and remove "Marathi-ness". Addressing separate press conferences, Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS president Raj Thackeray announced protests on July 7 and 5, respectively. The BJP is trying to impose "'language emergency" in the predominant...Read More
Amritsar, Jun 26 (PTI) A 35-year-old man from Uttarakhand was rescued and reunited with his family after allegedly being held as a bonded labourer at a cowshed in a village in Tarn Taran district, officials said on Thursday. Ramesh Kumar, from Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, was rescued following the intervention of Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, an official statement said. After a video went viral on social media purportedly showing Kumar tending to cattle u...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) In a significant enforcement action, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized goods worth Rs 9 crore under 'Operation Deep Manifest', targeting illegal imports of Pakistani-origin goods routed through Dubai. The operation has thus far led to the seizure of 39 containers carrying 1,115 metric tonnes of goods in blatant violation of import policy conditions and prohibitions imposed by the government on direct or indirect import or transit of Pakistani-origi...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Thursday demanded that the Congress must apologise for the imposition of Emergency by the Indira Gandhi government 50 years ago. Addressing an event here, Hosabale also made a strong pitch for the removal of two words -- socialist and secular -- from the preamble of the Constitution, which were inserted by the erstwhile Congress government during Emergency. Recalling the days of Emergency, which was announced on June 25, 1975...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 26 (PTI) Three Bombay High Court benches have so far recused themselves from hearing HDFC Bank CEO and MD Sashidhar Jagdishan's plea to quash an FIR of cheating and fraud registered against him on a complaint filed by the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust. While some judges cited having worked with either the Trust or the lawyers appearing for it, one judge on Thursday voluntarily disclosed that he held few shares of the HDFC Bank. Senior counsel Amit Desai appearing for Jagdis...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) As US President Donald Trump once again claimed to have brokered peace between India and Pakistan, Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale on Thursday questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not countering the claim publicly. In a post on X, Gokhale shared a video of the US president's claim and wrote, "For the 100th time, US President Trump claims at NATO Summit that he stopped the war between India & Pakistan." "Why is 56" (56 inch) PM Modi so scared to counter him ...Read More
Ghaziabad (UP) Jun 26 (PTI) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that Uttar Pradesh will generate 20,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2027. He said this after laying the foundation stone, along with Union minister Jitendra Singh, for a greenfield data centre at Sahibabad here. According to an official statement, Adityanath expressed his pleasure at the new data centre being developed by Central Electronics Limited (CEL). "This is a strong step towards the Prime Minister Narendr...Read More
Hyderabad, Jun 26 (PTI) Former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) S Somanath has taken on the role of Honorary Chief Technical Advisor at Skyroot Aerospace, country's leading private rocket developer. In his new capacity, Somanath will advise Skyroot as the city-based startup prepares for the launch of its Vikram-1 launch vehicle, India's first privately developed launch vehicle capable of deploying satellites in Earth's orbit, a release from the firm said on Thursday. T...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) India's Shubhanshu Shukla became the 634th astronaut to travel to space as he entered the International Space Station on Thursday after a 28-hour journey. Shukla and three other astronauts were formally welcomed on the space station by the members of Expedition 73 with warm hugs and handshakes. Axiom mission commander Peggy Whitson handed out astronaut pins to Shukla, Polish astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungarian Tibor Kapu, who marked their maiden voyage t...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 26 (PTI) Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Thursday said the BJP-led government in Maharashtra should not buckle under pressure from Uddhav and Raj Thackeray over the ongoing language row in the state. Athawale was speaking to media after Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) announced separate protests on July 5 and 7 against the state government's three-language policy in schools. The state government last week issued an order, ...Read More
Puri, Jun 26 (PTI) The Puri seer on Thursday accused the West Bengal government of misusing the name of Lord Jagannath for commercial gains rather than religious devotion. Addressing a press conference here, the Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, said, "The West Bengal government is misusing the name of Lord Jagannath for commercial purposes. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee does not have the religious sentiment required to name the Digha temple as 'Jagannath Dham'....Read More
Vellore, Jun 26 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday expressed confidence that his party, the DMK will be holding the reins of power in the state at all times. Addressing a government function at Mandalavadi in Tirupathur district near here, Stalin said, in view of the resounding reception accorded by various sections of people including women, youths, farmers, workers and students who lined up both sides of the road, it took 6 hours for him to reach Tirupathur from Vellore, a...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) India has evacuated over 3,400 Indian nationals from Iran so far in 14 flights under Operation Sindhu launched on June 18 to bring home its citizens amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, according to data shared by the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday. At his weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in response to queries on Operation Sindhu, also said, New Delhi was "assessing the situation on ground" and depending on that a decision would be ta...Read More
Kolkata, Jun 26 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she holds the Puri Jagannath temple in high esteem and has been a regular visitor as a devotee for years. Reacting to the Odisha government's objections over the naming of the newly constructed temple in Digha as 'Jagannath Dham', Banerjee told reporters that she could neither understand nor comment on how the BJP-led government chose to react to it. "The Digha temple had come up adhering to all rituals and scrip...Read More
Kolkata, Jun 26 (PTI) The ruling TMC of West Bengal has issued a show-cause notice to party MLA Humayun Kabir for visiting the family of a minor girl killed in a recent bomb blast in Nadia district and reportedly trying to offer them money without informing the party. Kabir, a former IPS officer and the legislator of the Debra in Paschim Medinipur district, said he visited the residence of the deceased in Kaliganj constituency on Wednesday not as a politician but as a representative of an NGO. ...Read More
Chandigarh, Jun 26 (PTI) A Mohali court on Thursday sent to a seven-day remand Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday in an alleged disproportionate assets case involving Rs 540 crore of laundered "drug money". Before producing Majithia in court amid tight security arrangements, police detained several Akali supporters protesting against the arrest near the court complex. Ferry Sofat, the counsel representing the bureau, told rep...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) Indian team, headed by chief negotiator Rajesh Agarwal, has reached Washington for the next round of trade talks with his US counterparts, an official said on Thursday. The visit is important as both the countries are engaged in negotiations for an interim trade deal and are trying to finalise the pact before July 9, though there are challenges in areas like agriculture and dairy. "The Indian team is in Washington for two-day trade talks," the official said. Agrawal is...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 26 (PTI) Several benches of the Bombay High Court have recused from hearing HDFC Bank CEO and MD Sashidhar Jagdishan's plea to quash an FIR of cheating and fraud registered against him on a complaint filed by the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust. While some judges cited having worked with either the Trust or the lawyers appearing for it, one judge on Thursday voluntarily disclosed that he held few shares of the HDFC Bank. Senior counsel Amit Desai appearing for Jagdishan said ...Read More
India might ease fuel rules for small cars. Maruti Suzuki requested this change because small car sales are down. The government is worried about the drop in affordable car sales. Relaxing the rules could help Maruti, which sells many small cars. Other car companies are discussing this proposal. New rules may start in April 2027....Read More
Jodhpur, Jun 26 (PTI) Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday accused the BJP of resorting to political horse-trading and toppling elected state governments, and asked how the democracy could survive in such a situation. Gehlot, who was on a five-day visit to Jodhpur, reiterated his allegation that the BJP unsuccessfully attempted to topple the Rajasthan government during his tenure. "They changed the governments in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra but failed in Raja...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) The CBI has detected 8.50 lakh mule bank accounts in over 700 branches nationwide which are being used by cyber criminals to launder proceeds from scams involving digital theft, impersonation, fraudulent investments, and UPI-based frauds, an enquiry by the agency has found. The central agency's crackdown on these mule accounts, opened using fake IDs for the limited use of siphoning victims' money, came through a coordinated search operation recently at 42 locations in Ra...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil on Wednesday said that nearly 89 of the 119 central teams deputed to assess the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) across states have submitted their reports, and the remaining will be in by the end of the month. "As many as 119 teams were formed in coordination with the DRDO and our ministry officials to carry out ground inspections of the Jal Jeevan Mission schemes. "Of these, 111 teams have completed their survey work and aro...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) A day after the Congress urged the Election Commission to provide machine-readable digital copy of the Maharashtra voters' list, EC sources on Thursday said the demand is "not tenable" under the prevailing legal framework, asserting that a similar plea of the party was junked by the Supreme Court in 2019. The EC sources said while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been demanding for machine-readable, digital copy of the electoral roll for the last seven months, such deman...Read More
Jamshedpur, Jun 26 (PTI) Senior BJP leader and former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das on Thursday said a statewide 'Ul-gulan' (movement) would soon be launched to pressure the state government to implement the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act. Addressing a press conference, Das said the awareness campaign will cover 112 blocks across 13 districts falling under the Scheduled Areas of the state. "The aim is to mobilise and educate tribal communities about their rights under th...Read More