New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Tuesday opposed a government notification allowing duty-free import of raw cotton till September 30, calling it a death warrant for cotton framers across the country. In a statement issued here, the amalgam of farmer unions accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "duplicity and betrayal". "The government has said that the elimination of import duty on cotton as well as Agriculture Infrastructure Development Cess (AIDC) is necessary in the pub...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday underlined the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity along the frontier with China, and reiterated India's commitment to a fair, reasonable and mutually-acceptable resolution to the boundary question as he met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Modi said stable, predictable and constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and that he is looking forward to meet...Read More
Bhopal, Aug 19 (PTI) Congress leader Umang Singhar on Tuesday alleged "votes were stolen" in more than 27 seats in the 2023 Madhya Pradesh assembly elections and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was given "unethical benefit". The BJP hit back and termed the Congress allegations as baseless and misleading, questioning, with a reference to Ramayana character Kumbhakarn, why is the opposition party waking up from slumber 20 months after the assembly election results. Talking to reporters h...Read More
Chennai, Aug 19 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday hailed Sudershan Reddy, INDIA bloc's vice-presidential candidate, as a champion of civil liberties and social justice. Stalin said Reddy's candidature strengthens the collective resolve to safeguard democracy and protect the spirit of the Constitution at a time when institutions are under strain. Justice B Sudershan Reddy, a retired judge of the Supreme Court who was declared as the INDIA bloc's vice-presidential candidate, ...Read More
Hyderabad, Aug 19 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday, citing 'Telugu pride', appealed to all political parties in the state and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to support the candidature of former Supreme Court Judge B Sudershan Reddy in the upcoming vice presidential elections. Addressing a press conference here, the CM urged all the MPs of TDP, BRS, YSRCP, Janasena and Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM to cast their vote in favour of the INDI Alliance's candidate "as per their con...Read More
Kochi, Aug 18 (PTI) Kerala Local Self Government Department (LSGD) minister M B Rajesh on Monday visited M A Abdullah Moulavi, a 104-year-old man who achieved digital literacy through a government programme, and said he is the "hero of the real Kerala story". He said Moulavi, a native of Asamannoor panchayat in Ernakulam district, has proved that age is not a barrier for learning. "Maulavi is Kerala's pride. He is the hero of the real Kerala story," he told reporters here. Stating that Kerala...Read More
Guwahati, Aug 18 (PTI) The family of a four-day-old infant who died at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Monday morning after being found hanging from wires of a medical equipment inside the NICU has raised allegations of negligence against the on-duty staff, leading the authorities to order an inquiry into the matter. The infant was admitted at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the GMCH here, where the incident happened. GMCH principal Dr Achyut Baishya said the baby was...Read More
Hyderabad, Aug 18 (PTI) Five people were electrocuted and four others injured when a chariot came in contact with overhead electric wires during the procession organised as part of Sri Krishna Janmashtami celebrations, police said on Monday. The incident occurred around midnight on Sunday in Ramanthapur when the chariot with Lord Krishna's idol was being taken out in a procession, they said. The vehicle, pulling the decorated chariot, ran out of fuel, following which nine people were pushing i...Read More
New Delhi: Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a day after the ruling NDA alliance named him as its vice presidential candidate. He arrived here to take part in various meetings of the NDA and met several leaders. Soon after the meeting, Modi posted on X, "Met Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji. Conveyed my best wishes on his being the NDA's Vice Presidential nominee. His long years of public service and experience across domains will greatly enrich our na...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Realty firm Omaxe Ltd has posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 185.77 crore in the first quarter of this financial year on lower income. Its net loss stood at Rs 146.98 crore in the year-ago period. Total income also declined to Rs 298.03 crore in the April-June period of 2025-26 fiscal against Rs 385.23 crore in the corresponding period of the preceding year, according to a regulatory filing last week. OmOmaxe, which is one of the leading real estate firms in the coun...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas says the 2009 film "Kaminey", which also marked her first collaboration with the filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, remains a turning point in her career. Jonas went down memory lane and shared a picture from the film on her Instagram handle on Monday. Also starring Shahid Kapoor in the dual role, the film was released on August 14, 2009. It followed a rivalry between a pair of twins, Charlie and Guddu, both played by Kapoor. Jonas essayed the role o...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Amid concerns about the revenue impact of the Centre's pro-middle-class 'Next Gen GST' with a proposed two-slab structure, government sources clarified that the Centre is an equal partner in revenue sharing with the states and that its proposal anticipates a revenue boost over time, driven by increased consumption. Under the current Goods and Services Tax (GST) framework, revenues are shared equally between the Centre and the states. Additionally, 41 per cent of the Cent...Read More
Kolkata, Aug 18 (PTI) India pacer Akash Deep and wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan, the East Zone captain, will miss the Duleep Trophy quarterfinal match against North Zone as both the players are recovering from their respective injuries. The season-opening Duleep Trophy matches are scheduled to be held in the BCCI Centre of Excellence grounds in Bengaluru from August 28, but Akash is yet to recuperate fully from a back injury that forced him to miss two Tests on the recent tour to England. Th...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) The 18 per cent tax slab is expected to remain the major contributor to GST revenues if the Centre's proposal for a two-tier GST structure and a special 40 per cent rate is implemented, according to a source. At present, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) follows a four-tier structure with rates of 5 per cent, 12, 18, and 28 per cent. Food and essential items are either exempt or taxed at 5 per cent, while luxury and sin goods attract the highest rate of 28 per cent. The ...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) SAEL Industries has signed two power purchase agreements for a combined solar power capacity of 880 megawatt in Punjab and Gujarat. Of the total, 400 megawatt (MW) will be set up in Punjab and 480 MW in Gujarat, the company said in a statement. In Gujarat, SAEL, through its subsidiaries SAEL Solar P Sixteen Private Ltd and SAEL Solar P Seventeen Private Ltd, has signed a PPA with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) for a total capacity of 480 MW AC of solar photovoltai...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor slammed the trolls after her video surfaced on the internet, where she is heard chanting the "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" slogan at Dahi Handi event during the Janmashtami celebration, and said there will always be an issue no matter what she does. The video, which has been circulating on the internet, shows Kapoor at an event in Mumbai, as part of the promotion for her upcoming film "Param Sundari". In the video, the 28-year-old actor was heard say...Read More
Mumbai, Aug 18 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday paid a courtesy visit to Governor C P Radhakrishnan, who has been named as the NDA's vice-presidential candidate, at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Radhakrishnan later left for New Delhi. At the airport here, Fadnavis, accompanied by state Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar, presented to the governor a book containing the unpublished letters of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a release from the Raj Bhavan sai...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Net leasing of office spaces in Bengaluru fell 3 per cent to 6 million sq ft during the January-June period of this calendar year, according to real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield. Net absorption or leasing refers to the net change in occupied space within a given market over a specific period. Across eight major cities, the consultant's data showed that the net leasing rose 24 per cent to 27.8 million sq ft in January-June 2025 from 22.5 million sq ft in the cor...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) With the opposition not participating in a special discussion in Parliament on India's first astronaut aboard the International Space Station, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor lauded Subhanshu Shukla's feat on Monday and said all Indians are proud of his recent mission that will help serve as a powerful symbol of India's ambitions in human spaceflight. He also said Shukla's "historic flight" has inspired a new generation to pursue careers in science, technology, engineerin...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) The operating profit of telecom companies in India is expected to grow 12-14 per cent to about Rs 1.55 lakh crore this fiscal, driven by more data consumption and rise in average revenue per user, Crisil Ratings said on Monday. The "robust" operating performance, along with declining capital expenditure intensity of leading players post 5G rollout, is seen improving free cash flow, supporting credit profiles of leading players in the industry. The telecom industry benef...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) The government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY) portal on Monday, Union Minister Mansukh L Mandaviya said, urging employers and first-time employees to take benefit of the Rs 1-lakh crore central scheme. The Union Cabinet approved the Employment Linked Incentive Scheme on July 1, 2025. With an outlay of nearly Rs 1 lakh crore, the central sector scheme aims to incentivise the creation of more than 3.5 crore jobs in the country, over a...Read More
Mumbai, Aug 18 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday said his party welcomes with an open mind the candidacy of Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan for the post of vice president but remained non-committal on supporting him as "he is an NDA candidate". "We are happy that he is the vice presidential candidate. Before him (then Maharashtra governor) Shankar Dayal Sharma was vice president and went on to become the president. When any person linked to Maharashtra is selected for su...Read More
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI) Actor Ramya, also known as Divya Spandana, on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court's decision to cancel the bail granted to actors Darshan and Pavithra Gowda in the Renukaswamy murder case, calling it a strong message that "all are equal before law." "The SC judgment today on setting aside bail to Darshan and others in the Renukaswamy murder case sends out a strong message -- all are equal before the law," she wrote on Instagram. Urging people to maintain faith in the justi...Read More
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI) The Indian women's team completed a 10-day preparatory camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here ahead of the ODI World Cup at home with focus on strength and conditioning besides match simulations. India, who have never won a world title, will be expected to end their ICC trophy drought in the 50-over showpiece beginning September 30. "The camp aimed to enhance fitness levels, fine-tune skills and prepare the squad for the challenges ahead," said the BCCI in a social ...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 14 (PTI) When Salim-Javed envisioned "Sholay", the character to first take shape was that of a dreaded dacoit. Little did they imagine that the role played by a newcomer in an otherwise star-studded film would create cinema history. Gabbar Singh was unlike any antagonist audiences had seen before, portrayed to the T by Amjad Khan in his first major role in the industry -- a sadistic, unpredictable and merciless outlaw who killed without hesitation, mocked fear, and treated cruelt...Read More
Lucknow, Aug 14 (PTI) The gangrape of a 21-year-old mentally challenged and speech-impaired woman in Balrampur district echoed in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Thursday during the marathon debate on "Vision 2047". The Balrampur incident occurred late on Monday night, when two men allegedly chased down the road and raped the woman as she was walking alone to her home from her maternal uncle's house. According to the woman's brother, she is mentally challenged and speech-impaired. The discussion...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 14 (PTI) Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday launched the Delhi government's "Helmet Wearing Consequences" campaign at Connaught Place, urging people to see road safety and civic responsibility as forms of patriotism. The initiative, aimed at reducing road accidents and promoting the habit of wearing helmets, seeks to highlight not only the importance of this safety measure but also the dangers of neglecting it, according to a statement. Speaking at the event, attended by Tra...Read More
Jammu, Aug 14 (PTI) Apart from Kishtwar district, which witnessed a cloudburst in a remote village killing at least 38 people, other places in the Jammu region are also facing the brunt of heavy rains. In Rajouri district, two minor children were injured when their house collapsed due to heavy rains in Khargala village, officials said, adding that the children were hospitalised. The continuous rain caused the sudden collapse of the residential house of SPO Altaf Hussain Shah in the Gali Pindi ...Read More
New Delhi, Aug 14 (PTI) The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will build dog shelters in all 12 civic zones and launch a dedicated helpline for residents to report stray animals, as part of a stepped-up plan to address the issue of stray dogs in the capital. On average 10,000 dogs are being sterilised and vaccinated every month, officials said. The Supreme Court, which is hearing challenges to an earlier order directing the relocation of strays to shelters, has reserved its verdict. On Thur...Read More
Chennai, Aug 14 (PTI) Police evicted agitating conservancy workers on Wednesday midnight from the protest site following a Madras High Court ruling against blocking public pathways and the Opposition parties strongly condemned the police and the ruling DMK for the late night action against the protesters. Opposing privatisation, the workers were protesting in front of Rippon Buildings, the headquarters of Chennai Corporation since August 1. Chief Minister MK Stalin said his Dravidian model gov...Read More