New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) Former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra has called on the BJP-led dispensation to urgently prioritise migrant housing, waste management and inter-agency coordination to tackle issues of urban governance. In an interview with PTI, 81-year-old Chandra, who has also served as secretary in the Union Ministry of Health, said the unplanned settlement of migrant workers remains Delhi's most pressing challenge. "Migrants will keep coming for work. They need water, electric...Read More
Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI) A 53-year-old woman facing psychological issues jumped into the Arabian Sea at the Bandra Bandstand here, but an alert police constable rescued her by diving into the water, officials said on Thursday. The incident took place around 5 pm on Wednesday, they said. After being rescued, the woman was admitted to a hospital and her condition is stable, an official said. "Constable Sainath Devde was posted as a watcher at the Galaxy Apartment, where Bollywood actor Salman Khan r...Read More
Chandigarh, Jul 3 (PTI) Hours after he was dropped as a minister in the Punjab government, Ajnala MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said on Thursday that he gave his resignation to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann after he was told that someone else would be given a chance in the cabinet. Dhaliwal further said he has been told that he will be given some other work and asserted that he is a loyal soldier of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which he joined in December 2015. The AAP government effected a cabinet ...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) India should establish world-class chemical hubs and develop eight high-potential port-infrastructure clusters to become a global chemical manufacturing powerhouse, a NITI Aayog report said on Thursday. In a report titled 'Chemical Industry: Powering India's Participation in Global Value Chains', NITI Aayog said India is aiming USD 1 trillion chemical output by 2040. According to the report, India is set to increase its Global Value Chains (GVC) share from 3.5 per cent i...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) In an "act of revenge", a 24-year-old man killed his employer's wife and teenage son at their home in Delhi's Lajpat Nagar after the woman allegedly scolded him publicly for not repaying a loan of around Rs 40,000, police on Thursday said. The man, identified as Mukesh Kumar, worked as a helper at Kuldeep Sewani's garment shop in the Lajpat Nagar market. Kumar would also transport garment. The accused, a native of Bihar's Hajipur, was nabbed by Uttar Pradesh Railway Poli...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) State-owned NBCC Ltd has signed an initial pact with National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) to renovate and redevelop the iconic 5.5-acre Siri Fort Auditorium complex in the national capital into a world-class cultural destination. Siri Fort Auditorium, located in South Delhi, was constructed in 1982 during the Asian Games. It currently has four auditoriums with a combined seating of over 2,600. In the past four decades, the auditorium complex has hosted global film...Read More
Jaipur, Jul 3 (PTI) Newly appointed Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar Sharma on Thursday said he would discharge his responsibility of public service with utmost dedication and sincerity. Expressing gratitude to Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and the state government for reposing faith in him, Sharma said his focus would be on furthering the glorious tradition of Rajasthan Police. "Our aim is to make Rajasthan a model state in policing for the entire country," he said. ...Read More
Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI) Maharashtra recorded 14 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the state's tally of the viral infection so far this year to 2,547, the health department said. The state reported one death from Nagpur, taking the total number to 39 since January, an official statement said. The deceased was suffering from comorbidity, the statement added. A total of 39 patients have succumbed to the virus in the state since January 1, of whom 38 had comorbidities (pre-existing health conditi...Read More
Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI) As many as 2,289 women government employees received a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 under the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme even though they were ineligible, the Maharashtra government told the legislative assembly on Thursday. Their names were removed from the list of beneficiaries after this came to light during a scrutiny, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said in a written reply. The flagship scheme of the BJP-led government is not meant for government employe...Read More
Dharwad (Karnataka), Jul 3 (PTI) Additional Superintendent of Police Narayan Baramani, who had faced Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's anger during a Congress rally at Belagavi in April, on Thursday said he was "attending to his duty". His comments came in response to reports that he had sought voluntary retirement from service after the incident. Earlier on Thursday, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, posted the officer's purported letter seeking VRS on 'X' and alleged that...Read More
Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI) German premium car maker BMW group on Thursday reported a 10 per cent jump in total sales in India at 7,774 units in the January-June period of 2025 over the same period year-ago, The Group had sold 7,081 units of BMW and Mini brands of cars in India in the first of CY 2024. Besides, the company also retailed 2,569 Motorrad brand of motorcycles during the period under review. The company also said it continued its leadership position in the luxury electric vehicle sales in ...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) State-owned NHAI on Thursday said it has suspended a contractor, an authority engineer and an NHAI official for the distressed condition of pavement at some locations on the Amritsar-Jamnagar Corridor section in Gujarat. NHAI in a statement said an incident of distressed condition of pavement crust at some locations of six-lane Sanchore - Santalpur Section of Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor (NH-754K) in Gujarat (Pkg-4 from Kilana to Santalpur) constructed by CDS Infra...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) Shares of Indogulf Cropsciences Ltd made a flat market debut on Thursday and ended marginally lower against the issue price of Rs 111. The stock was listed at Rs 111 on both the BSE and NSE. During the day, it climbed 1.44 per cent to Rs 112.60 on the BSE. Shares of the firm later ended at Rs 110.80, marginally down by 0.18 per cent. At the NSE, the stock went up by 1.80 per cent to Rs 113 after a flat debut. Later, it lost momentum and ended at Rs 110.35, a dip of 0.58...Read More
Kuppam (Andhra Pradesh), Jul 3 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday urged mango farmers and pulp companies to work together, especially as farmers face a major crisis. At a meeting with mango farmers from the undivided Chittoor district and representatives of pulp companies and processing units at his residence in Kuppam, Naidu directed companies to immediately purchase mangoes from farmers. "The government will also support the pulp industry and processing units...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) A blast followed by a fire in a transformer located near the Trauma Centre of the AIIMS here was reported on Thursday afternoon, a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said. He added that no one was injured in the incident. "We received a call regarding a blast and a fire in an electric transformer at the AIIMS Trauma Centre at 3:34 pm. We rushed eight fire tenders to the spot. The fire was doused by 3:55 pm. No one was injured," DFS chief Atul Garg said in a statement. A...Read More
Jaipur, Jul 3 (PTI) Newly appointed Rajasthan DGP Rajeev Kumar Sharma took charge at the Police Headquarters here on Thursday evening. He replaced former DGP Utkal Ranjan Sahoo, who recently retired from the post and was appointed Chairman of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC). After his retirement, ACB DGP Ravi Prakash Mehrada was given additional charge of the state DGP. He too retired on June 30. The state Department of Personnel issued Sharma's appointment order on Thursday fo...Read More
Kolkata, Jul 2 (PTI) Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya was on Wednesday officially named the new president of the West Bengal BJP, with the party tasking him to lead its charge in the 2026 assembly elections, a battle he described as a fight to save the state's culture and pluralism from what he termed the "corrupt misrule" of the TMC. A dyed-in-the-wool party loyalist and articulate communicator with deep roots in the RSS, Bhattacharya's election as the West Bengal BJP president signals the ce...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has signed an agreement with Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines to enter into a partnership to build two very large ethane carriers that will be used to import petrochemical feedstock for its subsidiary. In a regulatory filing, ONGC said it signed a Heads of Agreement on Thursday with Mitsui "to enter into a partnership to build, own and operate two very large ethane carriers (VLECs). It, however, did not give financial details of...Read More
Guwahati, Jul 3 (PTI) City police has arrested a man and his wife for allegedly killing a 72-year-old woman here, officials said on Thursday. Addressing a press conference, Guwahati Police DCP (Central) Amitabh Basumatary said the incident took place on Wednesday in Kharghuli area, where the deceased used to stay along with the caretaker's family. "During investigation, we found the involvement of the caretaker and his wife in the murder. We apprehended both of them, who stay in the same campu...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) India's economy is expected to grow 6.4-6.7 per cent during the current financial year driven by strong domestic demand, even as geopolitical uncertainty poses downside risks, the newly appointed CII President Rajiv Memani said on Thursday. Addressing his first press conference after taking over as the CII President, Memani made a strong case for simple three-tiered GST rate structure, with essential items attracting 5 per cent, luxury and sin goods at 28 per cent, and th...Read More
Chandigarh, Jul 3 (PTI) Newly elected Ludhiana West MLA Sanjeev Arora was inducted as a Cabinet minister on Thursday while Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was dropped after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann effected the seventh Cabinet reshuffle in the past three years. Arora's induction followed Dhaliwal's resignation from the Punjab Cabinet. His lone portfolio, NRI Affairs, was given to the newly elected MLA. Arora was also given the portfolio of Industry and Commerce and Investment Promotion, whic...Read More
Pune, Jul 3 (PTI) An unidentified man allegedly raped a 22-year-old IT professional after entering her flat in Pune city by posing as a courier delivery executive, and was yet to be nabbed nearly 24 hours after the crime. He clicked a selfie using the woman's phone in which her back and a part of his face are seen, and left a message warning that he had taken her pictures and would release them on social media if she reported the incident, police said. "I will come again," the message read, ac...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) The defence ministry on Thursday cleared capital acquisition of military hardware and platforms worth approximately Rs 1.05 lakh crore. The procurement projects were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The DAC accorded approval for procurement of armoured recovery vehicles, electronic warfare system, integrated common inventory management system for the tri-services and surface-to-air missiles, according to an offic...Read More
Indore, Jul 3 (PTI) The elder brother of the Indore man killed while honeymooning in Meghalaya said on Thursday that he believes the main accused Sonam, also the deceased's wife, may have married her aide while hiding here post the crime. Raja Raghuvanshi went missing on May 23 and his body was found on June 2 in a deep gorge near a waterfall in Sohra area (also known as Cherrapunji) of East Khasi Hills district in the north eastern state. His wife Sonam and her alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha a...Read More
Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI) Realty firm Arkade Developers Ltd has acquired 'Filmistan Pvt Ltd', which owns 4 acre land in Mumbai, for Rs 183 crore to develop a housing project with an estimated revenue of Rs 3,000 crore. This acquisition will enable Arkade Developers to develop the iconic 4-acre land parcel situated on SV Road in Goregaon West, popularly known as 'Filmistan Studios', the company said in a regulatory filing on Thursday. The company's board approved the execution of a Share Purchase Agr...Read More
Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI) The Devendra Fadnavis-led government on Thursday tabled the Maharashtra Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill in the state legislative assembly in order to bring uniformity between the central and state GST laws. The bill, tabled in the Lower House of the state legislature by Minister of State for Finance Ashish Jaiswal, seeks to amend the Maharashtra GST Act, 2017, by incorporating 13 proposed changes aligned with the Finance Act, 2025 passed by the Centre in March. "The...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) Reliance Infrastructure and Reliance Power on Thursday said that State Bank of India's move to classify the loan account of Reliance Communications as fraud has no impact on their business operations and financial performance. The development also has no impact on their shareholders, employees, or any other stakeholders, the two Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group (ADAG) companies stated in separate exchange filings. The ADAG companies said they are separate and independent list...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) State-owned MOIL has reported around a 7 per cent year-on-year rise in its manganese ore output to 5.02 lakh tonnes in the April-June quarter, an official statement said Thursday. In June, MOIL recorded its highest-ever production of 1.68 lakh tonnes of manganese ore, marking a 2 per cent increase over the corresponding period last year, the Ministry of Steel said. "MOIL scales new heights in April-June, 2025. Registers record quarterly production since inception," it sa...Read More
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) Adopting a healthier lifestyle is more effective than using the anti-diabetes drug metformin, with the benefits persisting over 20 years later, according to a study. The US Diabetes Prevention Program, launched in 1996, enrolled 3,234 patients with prediabetes from 30 institutions across 22 states. The study aimed to compare the benefits of metformin and a lifestyle modification that included exercise and a healthy diet. Researchers from The University of New Mexico, US,...Read More
Chennai, Jul 3 (PTI) Former AIADMK state Minister D Jayakumar on Thursday sought to know from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin if his "sorry" would resurrect security guard Ajith Kumar, who had died in police custody. Taking strong exception to the chief minister for conveying his apology to Kumar's family following his death in police custody on June 28 in Sivaganga district, Jayakumar asked, "Stalin said sorry. Will this bring Ajith Kumar back to life? This was the 25th custodial death th...Read More