Bengaluru, Dec 18 (PTI) Cold wave conditions are likely to persist over Bidar, Vijayapura, and Kalaburagi districts of Karnataka, with temperatures expected to be 2-4 degrees celsius "below normal" in the remaining districts of North Interior Karnataka for the next three days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday. Dry weather is forecast to continue across the state between December 18-22. According to the IMD, cold wave conditions are expected over Bidar, Vijayapura, an...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
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) 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 preparedn...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The Ministry of Railways on Wednesday dismissed as "baseless" claims that passengers would be allowed to travel free of cost during the Maha Kumbh Mela, and said no such provision exists. "It has come to the attention of Indian Railways that certain media outlets are circulating reports claiming that passengers will be allowed to travel free of cost during the Maha Kumbh Mela," it said in a statement. "Indian Railways categorically denies these reports, as they are enti...Read More
Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Dec 18 (PTI) Searches by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are underway at several locations in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district in connection with its probe into the procurement of AK-47 rifle butt and scope, a senior officer said. Muzaffarpur Deputy SP A C Gyani said sleuths of the federal agency started conducting the raids at 5 AM. "Sleuths of the federal investigation agency are searching the premises of one Devamni Rai in Kudhni area in connection with its probe in...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday announced that 'Sanjivni Yojna' would be launched for free treatment of people aged above 60 years after his party returns to power in Delhi. Assembly polls in Delhi are due in February next year. Kejriwal said registration for the scheme will begin within two-three days. AAP volunteers would go door to door for registration of the eligible elderly for the scheme, he said at an event at the party headquarters here. After the elect...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Vegetarians consuming plant-based alternatives to meat -- suggested as one of the means to lower the environmental impact of meat consumption -- could have a 42 per cent increased risk of depression compared to vegetarians who refrain from them, according to a study. Published in the journal Food Frontiers, the study also found higher blood pressure and inflammation levels, along with lower levels of 'good' cholesterol (HDL), in vegetarians who ate plant-based meat alter...Read More
Hyderabad, Dec 18 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, his cabinet colleagues and leaders of the ruling Congress on Wednesday participated in a 'Chalo Raj Bhavan' protest here over the Adani issue and also against "Prime Minister Narendra Modi not visiting violence-hit Manipur". The protest was organised by the state Congress as per a call given by the AICC. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B Mahesh Kumar Goud was among the party leaders and workers who also too...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has written to Chief Minister Atishi, slamming the AAP government over a "deliberate lapse" in tabling CAG reports in the assembly and advising her to summon a special session of the House on December 19 or 20 to do so. In his letter on Tuesday, Saxena alleged that there has been a "conscious and deliberate lapse" on the part of the elected government in presenting the 14 reports over the last two years. In normal course, a legislatur...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Data and AI company Databricks on Wednesday said it is raising USD 10 billion in funding led by Thrive Capital and plans to use the fresh capital for new AI products, acquisitions, and expanding its international market operations. The oversubscribed funding round values the San Francisco-headquartered firm at USD 62 billion, according to a company statement. "The company is raising USD 10 billion of expected non-dilutive financing and has completed USD 8.6 billion to d...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Senores Pharmaceuticals Ltd on Wednesday said it has fixed a price band of Rs 372-391 per share for its Rs 582-crore initial public offering (IPO) that opens for subscription on December 20. The initial share-sale will conclude on December 24, the company announced. The Ahmedabad-based company's IPO is a combination of fresh issuance of shares worth Rs 500 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 21 lakh shares valued Rs 82.11 crore, by promoters and other selling sha...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 ...Read More
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 18 (PTI) Senior NCP leader in Kerala and state Forest Minister A K Saseendran on Wednesday rejected media reports about the change in the party's lone ministership in the Left government and made it clear that there is no obstacle for party MLA Thomas K Thomas to be part of the state cabinet instead of him. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP is an ally in the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the state. It has two MLAS - A K Saseendran and Thomas K Thomas. Saseendran told rep...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the country will not tolerate Babasaheb Ambedkar's insult and demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah should apologise for his remarks in the Rajya Sabha. Several MPs of the INDIA bloc, including Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest in Parliament premises demanding Shah's apology for his remarks which they claimed were an insult to B R Ambedkar. Sharing pictures from the...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Automaker Stellantis India on Tuesday said it will increase prices of Jeep and Citroen models by up to 2 per cent from January. The price increase is aimed at offsetting the impact of rising input costs and ensuring sustainable operations in line with the industry, the company said in a statement. "While the price revision is necessitated by increasing input costs and exchange rates, we stand steadfast in our commitment to continue to be focused on providing value, high...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are copping maximum criticism for being walking wickets during the ongoing Test series against Australia but even Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant haven't shown the patience needed to survive Down Under, indicating a larger problem. Patience is a virtue that one develops over time and Kohli had once showed how it's done during his golden phase between 2014 and 2019. KL Rahul, blessed with sound technique, has displayed that dur...Read More
Chennai, Dec 17 (PTI) Agri-solutions provider Coromandel International Ltd has signed a strategic partnership with Krish-e, the farm equipment business vertical of Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, to offer its drone spraying service 'Gromor Drive' to the farming community, a top company official said on Tuesday. The service is currently available in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. Gromor Drive operations are supported by pilots trained...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Drug firm Granules India on Tuesday said its subsidiary has received approval from the US health regulator for a generic medication used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Granules Pharmaceuticals, Inc (GPI) has received approval from the US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate chewable tablets, the drug firm said in a statement. The approved drug is available in multiple stren...Read More
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 17 (PTI) CPI(M) MP and former Kerala Minister K Radhakrishnan on Tuesday attributed the non-availability of an ambulance to transport a tribal woman's body to a failure by lower-level officials and assured appropriate action against those responsible. Radhakrishnan said the state has "sufficient facilities and systems in place" to handle such situations, but incidents like this occur when officials fail allegedly to act promptly. "The state government will intervene eff...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Carraro India Ltd, the manufacturer of transmission systems for off-highway vehicles and other agricultural and construction equipment, on Tuesday fixed a price band of Rs 668-774 per share of its Rs 1,250-crore initial public offering (IPO) that will open for subscription on December 20. The Pune-based company's initial share-sale will conclude on December 24 and the anchor bidding will open for a day on December 19, the company said. Carraro India's IPO is completely ...Read More
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday hit out at the government, saying voting at the introduction stage of two bills on simultaneous elections in the Lok Sabha showed the BJP did not have the two-third majority required to pass a constitutional amendment. Two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections were introduced in the Lok Sabha after a fiery debate on Tuesday. Opposition parties dubbed the draft laws -- a Constitution amendment bill and an o...Read More
Mumbai, Dec 17 (PTI) The rupee consolidated in a narrow range and settled for the day higher by 1 paisa at 84.90 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday, weighed down by disappointing trade balance data and weak domestic markets. Forex traders said the rupee is likely to remain under pressure due to concerns over slowdown in the economy and dollar demand from importers and foreign banks. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 84.89 and touched an all-time low of 84.93 ag...Read More
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 17 (PTI) AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Tuesday reviewed preparations for the centenary celebrations of the 1924 Indian National Congress session, presided over by Mahatma Gandhi. The event is scheduled here on December 26 and 27. The party has decided to hold a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on December 26 in Belagavi and a public meeting on December 27. AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, and the party's...Read More
Amritsar, Dec 17 (PTI) Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla on Tuesday urged the Punjab government to take steps to bring back the bodies of Punjabis who were among 11 Indians who died in a restaurant in Georgia. Eleven Indian nationals were found dead at a restaurant in Georgia's mountain resort of Gudauri, the Indian mission had said on Monday. Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs had said the initial inspection found no signs of injury or violence. All victims died from carbon monoxide poisoni...Read More
Mumbai, Dec 17 (PTI) Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday launched a veiled attack on party president Ajit Pawar over his exclusion from the new council of ministers, claiming Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was in favour of his induction in the cabinet. He said Ajit Pawar, the NCP president, makes decisions for the party like Fadnavis for the BJP and Eknath Shinde for the Shiv Sena. Amid speculation over his "Jahan nahi chaina, wahan nahi rehna" remark a day before, Bhujb...Read More
Srinagar, Dec 17 (PTI) Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh set social media abuzz with the videos of his visit to various tourist spots in Kashmir, including a temple, a Muslim shrine and a gurdwara. In a series of Instagram posts, the Punjabi singing sensation shared clips of offering prayers at the Adi Shankaracharya temple in the Zabarwan hills on the banks of the iconic Dal Lake, the Khanqah shrine in old city and a gurudwara in Rainawari area of Srinagar. "KASHMIR THE HEAVEN ON EARTH," Diljit cap...Read More
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 17 (PTI) CPI(M) MP and former Kerala Minister K Radhakrishnan on Tuesday said that his party was against the 'one nation, one election' policy being mooted by the central government and the legislation in favour of it would be strongly opposed. Radhakrishnan said that besides the CPI(M), even the Congress would oppose the legislation trying to bring simultaneous elections in the country. He further said that even the regional parties would oppose the policy of simultane...Read More