IMPHAL: People handed over to the security forces a total of 196 arms along with ammunition and other miscellaneous items on the last day for voluntarily surrendering looted and illegally held weapons in strife-torn Manipur, police said on Friday. The security forces also destroyed 15 bunkers in Kangpokpi district. The arms were surrendered in eight districts till 4 pm of Thursday, which was the deadline for doing so after it was extended by Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the governor of the northeastern st

PALAKKAD: In the forests of Attappadi, where life follows the rhythms of the seasons, a remarkable project is transforming the lives of tribal communities who have long relied on the land for their livelihood. The Vanaamritham (roughly, nectar of the forest) scheme, launched by the forest department in 2022, is offering these communities a new way to earn while helping them take care of their ancestral land and protect the environment. The project focuses on the collection of medicinal plants, a

Dr Mohan Yadav , Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, hosted the states eighth Global Investors Summit (GIS-2025) in Bhopal. Preceded by seven regional industrial conclaves across the state, the GIS-2025, inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi, announced a record Rs 30.77 lakh crore in investment, promising over 21 lakh jobs. In an interview with Anuraag Singh , the Chief Minister discussed many key issues. Excerpts: What is your strategy to execute these investments? We did not limit the investment proce

SRINAGAR: Lt Governor Manoj Sinha in his address to the legislators on the start of Budget session of J&K Assembly in Jammu said one of the foremost aspirations of people of J&K is restoration of statehood. One of the foremost aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is the restoration of fullstatehood. My Government remains steadfast in its commitment to addressing this legitimate desire of the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir. My Government recognizes the emotional and political significanc

PATNA: Putting all speculations to rest about his entry into politics, former IPS officer Shivdeep Wamanrao Lande launched the Connect with Shivdeep app on Friday for the betterment of Bihar and its people, especially youth. While launching the app in front of his wife Mamta, the 2006-batch IPS officer from Bihar cadre said that he will start his new innings from Bihars Munger district, where he had started his career as a police officer. Speaking to presspersons, Lande said, Though I was born i

HAMPI: With Chief Minister Siddaramaiah skipping the Hampi Utsav inauguration, the prestigious event was inaugurated by Vijayanagara district in-charge minister Zameer Ahmad Khan, in the presence of Kannada and Cultural Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi. The inaugural day of the Hampi Utsav saw around 1.5 lakh attendees, with the flower and fish exhibitions attracting more visitors. The Hampi By Sky helicopter service received favourable response, with a reduced price of Rs 3,999 allowing more tourist

MAHOBA: Four devotees returning from Prayagraj after attending the Maha Kumbh were killed when their car collided with a truck on the Kanpur-Sagar highway on Friday, police said. The deceased have been identified as Naresh Nagar (35), Awadhesh Nagar (35), Bhura Gurjar (35) and Pooja Nagar (23), all from Madhya Pradesh. The accident occurred near Bara Nala in the Srinagar Kotwali area in the early hours of Friday, police said. Preliminary investigations suggest the driver may have fallen asleep,

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday released the state policy for Care of Homeless Persons with Mental Illness and Implementation Framework 2024, brought out by the Health and Family Welfare Department, as part of the governments commitment to delivering quality services to this vulnerable segment of society. The proposed policy framework delineates the service provided to Homeless Persons with Mental Illness (HPWMI) into four stages -- rescue and acute care, intermediary care, long t

KASARGOD: Kodakkad Service Co-operative Bank Ltd. in Chervathur and Kayyur Service Co-operative Bank Ltd. have gained attention for their specially arranged tour packages, which provide an opportunity for people to take part in the upcoming 24th CPM party congress held in Madurai. The tour packages offered by both banks follow separate routes and arrive at the party congress venue on different dates. The Kodakkad Service Co-operative Bank Ltd. is organizing a comprehensive four-day tour, commenc

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin handed over appointment orders to 2,642 assistant surgeons recruited recently through the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB). Pointing at the 1,000 pharmacies inaugurated under Mudhalvar Marunthagam scheme, Stalin said the government schemes will not be effective without the contribution of doctors and health care professionals. Your work is no ordinary work, its a life-saving service. You take care of the wellbeing of people, and the government is there

CHENNAI: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder Vijay on Wednesday said that the people of Tamil Nadu need not be educated since they are already aware of what he termed as a setting (meaning a covert understanding) between the BJP and the DMK on the issue of the Union governments alleged attempt to impose three language policy in the State. Addressing the first anniversary of his party at Mahabalipuram near here, he accused TVKs ideological enemy (BJP) and its political enemy political enemy (DMK) fo

For a man who writes history with the vivacity of a traveller, William Dalrymple was quite untravelled as a child. He travelled later, as an archaeology-smitten teenager, to ancient-history hotspots of Sanchi, Ajanta, Ellora. Yet, as an adult, when he wrote history, ancient history was not his pick; it was the East India Company and the decline of the Mughal empire. Hence, William feels his teenage self would be quite surprised at his The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World , a

VIJAYAWADA: YSRCP president and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy criticised Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu for deceiving unemployed youth, government employees, and people from all sections of society. In a post on X, Jagan accused Naidu of betraying Group 2 aspirants and creating confusion ahead of their exams. For three weeks, the State government pretended to listen to Group 2 aspirants requests and assured them of justice. However, in the end, their concerns were ignored, he

NEW DELHI: In view of the escalating burden of non-communicable diseases in the country, the Union Health Ministry on Thursday launched an intensified special campaign to achieve 100 per cent screening of all individuals aged 30 years and above for diabetes, hypertension and other NCD diseases and common cancers. The campaign - which will run from February 20 to March 30 - aims to ensure early detection and timely intervention for NCDs and three common cancers - oral, breast and cervical cancer.

CHANDIGARH: A recent decision to develop a new nature park with jacuzzi hot baths at Kasol, a much sought after tourist destination, in the Parvati Valley of Kullu in Himachal Pradesh has met with opposition. The opposition arose out of a proposal to divert water from Manikaran to Kasol. Manikaran is a pilgrimage site sacred for both Hindus and the Sikhs. The local people argue that to divert sacred water from Manikaran for commercial purpose is unacceptable. It was during a recent meeting of th

NEW DELHI: The tragic stampede at New Delhi railway station on Saturday, which claimed the lives of 18 passengers , including five children, has raised serious concerns about the railways' crowd management during peak travel times. Despite Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's continuous monitoring of live CCTV feeds from a war room at the ministry, ground officials failed to anticipate or control the overwhelming rush of passengers. The sharp surge in ticket sales for the February 15 journey, wit

PATNA: A 36-year-old mentally challenged man was lynched by a mob after he allegedly beat two people to death in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, police said on Saturday. The incident took place in Makandpur village in Nathnagar police station area on Friday night. The police said, Chotu Kumar, a mentally challenged youth, attacked his uncle Rajeev Rai (68), Jai Prakash Ram (64) and four others with an iron rod. While Rajeev Rai died on the spot, Jai Prakash Ram succumbed to his injuries during treat

NEW DELHI: Heeding the result of the Delhi assembly election, which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lost, its government in Punjab went on a bonanza spree on Thursday, much before the 2027 assembly polls in the state. The Punjab cabinet, meeting after four months, decided to disburse pending arrears worth Rs 14,000 crore among state government employees and pensioners. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said arrears of revised pay or pensions and leave encashment will be released from January 1, 201

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday deprecated the practice of announcing freebies prior to elections, and said people were not willing to work as they were getting free ration and money. The observations came from a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih which was hearing a matter concerning the right to shelter of homeless persons in urban areas. Unfortunately, because of these freebie... the people are not willing to work. They are getting free rations. They are getting

PRAYAGRAJ: Amid elaborate arrangements, over 73 lakh people took a dip at the Sangam till 6 am on Wednesday on the occasion of Maghi Purnima during the Maha Kumbh mela here. The sacred bath began early Wednesday and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been monitoring the event from Lucknow. With the Maghi Purnima bath, the month-long Kalpavas will also end and around 10 lakh Kalpvasis' will start leaving the Maha Kumbh. The administration has requested them to follow traffic rules and use only au

LUCKNOW: Former Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni relinquished her title of Mahamandaleshwar following controversy and internal conflicts. Previously, seers criticised the anointment of Kulkarni as Mahamandaleshwar of Kinnar Akhara, a subsidiary of Juna Akhara, referring to her past in the film industry. The Akhara had expelled Kulkarni and her mentor Dr Laxmi Narayan Tripathi due to tensions within the religious group over the development. Kulkarni announced her resignation in a video, saying: I

SRINAGAR: More than two months after 17 mysterious deaths in Badhal village of Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district, authorities have yet to determine the cause. As a result, around 400 people from 60 families remain in quarantine centres, unable to return to their normal lives. Since December 7, 2024, 17 people, including 13 children and four adults from three families, have died from an unknown illness in the village. All 38 patients who were undergoing treatment in different hospitals have rec

GUWAHATI: Manipur BJP president A Sharda Devi said Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned in the interest of the state and its people. Dismissing reports of discord among BJP legislators, she said Singh had submitted his resignation keeping in mind Manipurs future. He resigned keeping in mind the interest of Manipur and its citizens. He made an appeal to the Government of India for the protection of Manipurs integrity and the safety of the people, Devi told journalists on Sunday evening. The stat

NEW DELHI: In a major development, a special investigation team led by the CBI has arrested four people in connection with the alleged adulteration of cow ghee used to make the famous Tirumala laddu prasadam. The arrested individuals have been identified as Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy (Roorkee, Uttarakhand), Apoorva Chawda, CEO of Vaishnavi Dairy (Poonambakkam), and Raju Rajasekharan, Managing Director of AR Dairy, according to officials. The investigation rev

NEW DELHI: In a major development, A special investigation team led by the CBI has arrested four people in connection with the alleged adulteration of cow ghee used to make the famous Tirumala laddu prasadam. Those arrested have been identified as Vipin Jain, Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy (Roorkee, Uttarakhand), Apoorva Chawda CEO of Vaishnavi Dairy (Poonambakkam), and Raju Rajasekharan, Managing Director of AR Dairy, they said. The accused were presented in the Tirupati court

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday termed N Biren Singh's resignation from the post of Manipur chief minister as elated and said people of the state were now awaiting a visit by our frequent-flier Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The opposition party's attack came shortly after Singh tendered his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal. AICC general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Congress was all set to move a no-confidence motion against Sin

NEW DELHI: Opposition leaders on Tuesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address in the Lok Sabha with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stating it seemed from his speech that he has lost his connect with people and their needs. Replying to the two-day discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the president's address, Prime Minister Modi hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi , saying those speaking of fighting the Indian state can appreciate neither the Constitution nor national unity as he

NEW DELHI: A lot of people are migrating from rural areas to metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore due to poverty and unemployment, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday. Addressing an event, Gadkari said people are also migrating to urban areas because they are not getting fair prices for their agricultural produce. Because of the unemployment, because of the poverty, there is a lot of migration from rural India to urban India. That is the reason today we are seeing a lot of prob

Indigo Airlines received the highest number of hoax bomb threats in 2024, followed by Air India and Vistara. However, only 13 people have been arrested in connection with hoax bomb threats to airlines in 2024. According to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry, 728 bomb threats were received in 2024, 714 of which were hoax threats received by domestic airlines, and the rest by a few international carriers. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mo

NEW DELHI: The government has put substantial amount of money in hands of people through rejig of I-T slabs in the Budget and an additional 1 crore people will pay no tax due to hike in tax rebate to Rs 12 lakh per annum, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday. The 2025-26 Budget hikes the tax rebate available to individual taxpayer to Rs 12 lakh from next fiscal, from Rs 7 lakh currently. One crore more people will pay no income tax due to hike in rebate to Rs 12 lakh, Sitharaman

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the government is busy garnering praises for the Union Budget when the entire country is struggling with problems of inflation and unemployment, and asserted that the Budget is an attempt to dupe the people. He said the Budget is aptly described by the Hindi proverb 'Nau sau choohe khake billi hajj ko chali' (roughly translated to seeking to be pious after committing a number of sins). In a post on X in Hindi, Kharge said that in

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded the Union Budget , presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as a people's budget that puts more money in the hands of people and said it is a force-multiplier that will increase investments and lead to growth. In televised remarks on the Budget, Modi said the government has opened up many sectors for the youth, who will drive the mission of 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India). This Budget is a force multiplier. This Budget will in

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ' no foreign attempt to stoke fire' remark, saying he never talks about people's issues and does not address them. Speaking with reporters ahead of the Budget session, Modi said it is perhaps the first time since 2014 that no attempt has been made from abroad to stoke a fire in India before the start of a Parliament session. He does not talk about people's issues, does not address them. We sa

GUWAHATI: Braving a boycott call given by some militant groups, people in the Northeast on Sunday went out in large numbers to celebrate the 76th Republic Day. A loud explosion heard at a truck parking lot in Beharbari area on the outskirts of Guwahati, and an unattended bag found lying at the inter-state bus terminal nearby, triggered panic among people. However, reports of no untoward incidents were received. The police dismissed the reports of blast. There was a loud sound but no explosion. W

NEW YORK: Two Indian-origin persons are among five people charged in the US with carrying out a robbery at gunpoint at the home of a small business owner in front of his young children. Bhupinderjit Singh, 26, Divya Kumari, 26, Elijaih Roman, 22, Corey Hall, 45 and Erik Suarez, 24, were charged with perpetrating a gun-point home invasion robbery in Orange County, New York. The defendants have been arrested and presented in White Plains federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Victoria

CHANDIGARH: 'The vision of Dilli Ki Awaaz People's Manifesto 2025' was released by environmentalists and social activists demanding universal access to clean water, sanitation, healthcare and education. The manifesto addresses issues like climate change, air pollution, water scarcity and urban flooding. The manifesto will be provided to all political parties contesting elections in Delhi assembly elections. Soumya Dutta, a senior member of the National Alliance of Peoples Movement said, The man

IMPHAL: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday appealed to the people of the state to help his government restore peace and asserted that all core issues can be discussed politically and diplomatically. Conflict will not help resolve the issues, he said. Speaking at a programme here, Singh said, There must be a fault on our part as well. We have been working by taking advice from others. What is happening in the state is not good. However, with the cooperation and efforts of many, norm

SRINAGAR: A day after police detained six persons for allegedly inciting sectarian unrest through derogatory remarks, the Cyber Police Kashmir on Thursday warned people against sharing hateful content on social media. 1/3We have observed that certain hateful sectarian content, originally posted and later removed, has been downloaded/ saved by malicious individuals who are now circulating it widely on social media. This behavior is under close watch. @JmuKmrPolice @KashmirPolice @SrinagarPolice

CHANDIGARH: People are up in arms against the Himachal Pradesh government's plan to commission mega hydroelectric projects in the Chenab basin located across Kullu, Chamba,Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Shimla districts. The projects ranging from 6.5 MW to 400 MW pose significant threat to the delicate ecosystem of the region as it is home to fragile Himalayan glaciers and diverse biodiversity. The local residents, social activists and environmentalists have expressed serious concern over the project

NEW DELHI: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that worshiping Mother India is equal to serving people and protecting environment and biodiversity. Every person born in India has a natural culture of service. Worshiping Mother India means serving and protecting its people, land, forests, water and animals. Conservation and promotion of environment and biodiversity is the inspiration we get from worshiping Bharat Mata, Bhagwat said at a function at Omkareshwar in MP. Just as Garuda got the ble

NEW DELHI: Economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia praised former prime minister Manmohan Singh for his efforts to bring 138 million people out of the 'below poverty line' (BPL). Ahluwalia, former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India, said that India grew faster in terms of economic growth during Singh's tenure than it had ever done. People forget that when you are prime minister you are not running an individual department. You have to be judged by how the country performs. So if you pu

Our Constitution is 75 years old. We adopted it on the 26th day of November in 1949, with India solemnly pledging its allegiance to the document. Our Parliament thought of debating the seminal text during the winter session to mark the occasion. The idea elicited a rare unified response from the treasury and opposition benches. However, the book eventually took a backseat as politicians bent over history books, scouring for fallibility to score points over their rivals. Hardly any value emerged

NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the people are struggling with rising prices and are forced to compromise on daily needs, while the government is sleeping like 'Kumbhakarnan'. Gandhi shared a video on his social media handles on his recent visit to a vegetable market in Giri Nagar here and his interaction with housewives who narrated their ordeal due to rising prices of food items. A few days ago, I went to a local vegetable market and while sho

PUNE: Two children and a man were killed and six other persons injured after a truck ran over people sleeping on a footpath in Maharashtra's Pune city in the wee hours of Monday, police said. The incident took place at around 12.30 am on the footpath in Wagholi area where several persons were sleeping, they said. The truck driver was detained after the incident, the police said. There were many people sleeping on the footpath near Kesnand Phata area, most of them labourers. They were run over by

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the frequent flyer PM is off to Kuwait while the people of Manipur continue to wait for him to visit the violence-hit state. Modi embarked on a two-day visit to Kuwait on Saturday to boost ties in a range of areas including defence and trade. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh, in a rhyming post on X, said, Such is their fate, As Mr.Modi refuses to find a date, The people of Ma

BHOPAL:Money lost due to digital arrest -- the rising phenomenon of cyber fraudsters posing as enforcement agencies sleuths to extort money from targets -- has increased by more than 130 per cent within a year in Madhya Pradesh. The alarming statistics were shared by the state government on the second day of the ongoing winter session of the Vidhan Sabha in Bhopal on Tuesday. Responding to Congress MLA Pratap Grewals question about the cases of digital arrest and online fraud in the state during

CHANDIGARH: Around 800 stranded people were rescued from Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal Pradesh after heavy snow on Sunday night. As many as 87 roads were closed for traffic following snowfall across the state. In the first in two decades, Shimla and adjoining tourist towns of Kufri and Fagu yesterday evening experienced the season's first snowfall in early December, with the hospitality industry eyeing a surge of tourists. The Lahaul-Spiti police rescued around 800 stranded people, among the rescued

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday hit out at the opposition, accusing it of misleading people about electronic voting machines and not accepting their mandate. Talking to reporters, Shinde said the ruling Mahayuti alliance won the November 20 assembly polls because of its work, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi must accept the people's mandate and support the government in development works. The Mahayuti combine of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP swept the recently

KOLHAPUR: NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Saturday said the Opposition should not lose heart over its rout but go back to the people who do not seem to be enthused by the massive victory of the BJP-led Mahayuti in the Maharashtra elections. The Opposition's priority would be to ensure that all the election promises made by the ruling alliance, including increasing the financial assistance to women under the Ladki Bahin scheme from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100, are implemented at the earliest, he said

During his visit to Chandigarh, where he dedicated to the nation the successful implementation of the three new criminal laws - Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam - which came into effect on July 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi resonated with the residents of the city by stating, When I come to Chandigarh, I feel I am among my own people. He said the identity of Chandigarh is linked to Goddess Chandi, a symbol that embodies truth and justi