SRINAGAR: Ex-RAW chief A S Dullat, in his upcoming book The Chief Minister and the Spy , revealed that former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah privately backed the Centre's decision to scrap Article 370 despite publicly opposing the move. People's Conference chairman and MLA Sajad Gani Lone remarked on this matter, saying that it ow seems 2024 was a prize for services rendered in 2019. On August 5, 2019, the Centre scrapped Articles 370 and 35A which granted special status and privileges to J

KOCHI: The BJP and the Union government will stand with the people of Munambam to protect their land rights, said Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju. The Centre will follow up the case and ensure that justice is served to the people of Munambam, the minister said during his visit to the coastal village to attend a thanksgiving function organised by NDA on Tuesday. He also interacted with the residents who have been protesting against the claim of the Waqf Board on their land. Earli

DUBAI: There is a serious gap between decision makers and people they cater to, and this gap is widening, said Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi on the concluding day of the Global Justice, Love and Peace Summit, held in Dubai on April 12 and 13. Satyarthi was talking to PTI on the sidelines of the summit on Sunday. In a session held late Sunday evening, Satyarthi, along with 11 other Nobel Laureates, shared their experiences in tackling bureaucracy and societal apathy in their journey towa

BHUBANESWAR: National BJP president JP Nadda on Saturday exhorted party MPs and MLAs to connect with the people by spending considerable time in their constituencies, and ensure that all welfare and development works of both central and state governments reach every intended person. Inaugurating a three-day training camp of BJP lawmakers near Puri, Nadda said such sincere efforts can only realise the Viksit Bharat vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nadda spoke on the importance of party org

NAGPUR: A fire broke out in an aluminum foil manufacturing unit in Umred MIDC in the Nagpur district, as per the fire department. The fire claimed the lives of five people. Two people died in the hospital during the treatment, while the death of three missing people has also been confirmed, as per Superintendent of Police (SP), Nagpur Rural, Harsh Poddar. Earlier in the day, a total of six people had been injured and two of them were in critical condition and had been shifted to the Nagpur Gover

CHENNAI: DMK deputy general secretary and MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday accused AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami of going back on his promise to the people that they would never join hands with the BJP. Kanimozhi said, Having EPS on the dais, Union Minister Amit Shah has announced the alliance between the AIADMK and the BJP. On many occasions, the AIADMK claimed that they were opposing the anti-people bills and schemes of the BJP-led Union government. But now, EPS was silentl

NEW DELHI: Antibiotic use is the top reason for side effects among people, a latest national survey has said. However, the survey conducted on over 17,000 people in 303 Indian districts found that it is not just antibiotics, followed by syrups or other medicines, that cause side effects in people who consume them, but Ayush medicines, too, especially Ayurveda medicines. The survey by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, found that one in two people have experienced side effects from

AHMEDABAD: The Congress on Wednesday said its idea of nationalism binds people together, while the pseudo-nationalism of the BJP-RSS seeks to divide them. The party made the assertion in its 'Nyaypath' resolution adopted at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session held here on the banks of the Sabarmati river. The resolution focused strongly on defining the party's take on nationalism and contrasting it with that of the BJP. Of course, the territorial integrity of India depicts our nation

GWALIOR : Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said the new Waqf law will prevent the misuse of properties and ensure the Waqf land is used for the development of people. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha last week after marathon debates in both Houses of Parliament. President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the bill on Saturday. The Act aims to streamline the management of Waqf properties (assets permanently donated by Muslims for religious or charit

KAMAREDDY: The number of people hospitalised after consuming toddy in Kamareddy district rose to 73 on Tuesday. Of them, 43 persons were admitted to the Government Area Hospital in Banswada, while 14 received treatment in the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Nizamabad, four in GGH Kamareddy, two in a private hospital in Kamareddy, eight in outpatient care in Banswada Area Hospital and two in a private hospital in Banswada. Following the incident, the Excise Police arrested four persons and a

CHENNAI: As many as 16.1 lakh ration cards comprising a total of 52 lakh people have been upgraded from non-priority household (NPHH) cards to priority household (PHH) cards. This reclassification allows beneficiaries to receive increased allocations of rice and other essential commodities under the Food Security Act, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R Sakkarapani informed the Assembly on Tuesday. Currently, about 3.64 crore people in Tamil Nadu fall under the PHH category. During the discus

HYDERABAD: Accusing Union minister G Kishan Reddy of obstructing the state development, TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Monday sought to know why people should vote for the BJP when neither he nor the saffron party-led Union government did nothing for Telangana. The TPCC chief was responding to Kishan Reddy requesting the people of Telangana to give the BJP an opportunity to serve them. Addressing a press conference at he Gandhi Bhavan, Mahesh demanded that Kishan release a white paper on the

LUCKNOW: A 19-year-old girl in lodged an FIR with police claiming that she was raped by 23 people who shot the videos of the act within 7 days since she left home in Varanasi on March 29. In her written complaint, the victim, named 12 of the accused while the remaining 11 were described as unidentified men. However, the police have taken six persons into custody in connection with the incident. The victim, who is preparing for admission into a sports course, had reportedly gone missing from her

PALAKKAD (Kerala): Launching a sharp attack on Union Minister Suresh Gopi for his recent controversial remarks, Kerala Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar on Monday said it is the people, not anyone else, who should say cut to the actor-turned-politician. Responding to a question about Gopi's outburst at mediapersons outside Kochi airport recently, Ganesh Kumar stated, I'm not the director to say 'cut' to Suresh Gopi. Action and reaction are personal choices. But in the end, it's the public who

NILGIRIS: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday made a slew of announcements for people of Nilgiris district. Speaking at a function organised in the government arts college at Ooty, he said a tribal museum and a research centre would be established in the district at a cost of Rs 10 crore and 300 houses would be built for the homeless people in Gudalur at a cost of Rs 26.6 crore. The CM further said that a multi-level car parking would be constructed at a cost of Rs 20 crore in Ooty. To encourage

BHUBANESWAR: Mobile Clinics Drive, an initiative by TP Southern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPSODL) to transform access to medical care for the local communities, has reached over 2 lakh people in 1,018 remote villages across two districts of the state in a year. The initiative involving mobile health dispensaries has been launched in Koraput and Malkangiri districts. TPSODL officials said around 510 remote villages in Koraput and 508 in Malkangiri have already been covered by the mobile teams

RAIPUR: At least 30 people were injured, six of them critically, after a pickup vehicle overturned while ferrying attendees to Union Home Minister Amit Shahs event in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, on Saturday, officials said. The accident took place near Palnar under the Aranpur police station limits when the people from Potali were traveling in a vehicle to the venue where the closing ceremony of the Bastar Pandum festival was scheduled to be held at a school ground. The injured were taken to the Da

DANTEWADA: At least 30 persons were injured, six of them critically, after a mini goods carrier ferrying them to a public event of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada overturned on Saturday, a police official said. The incident took place near Palnar under Kuakonda police station limits when the vehicle was on its way from Potali, a Naxal affected village, the official added. The driver apparently lost control of the vehicle and it overturned. At least 30 people are injured

TIRUNELVELI: A stray dog attacked over 10 people, including three children, in Kallidaikurichi on Wednesday night, triggering panic among residents. The injured were admitted to the Ambasamudram government hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, locals urged the civic body to take immediate steps to curb the stray dog menace. According to sources, three-year-old R Manoj was playing outside his house in Pudutheru when a stray dog bit him. The same dog then attacked two-year-old Shanmugavel and a schoo

SIDDIPET: Exhorting his party cadre and leaders to ensure that the BRS silver jubilee celebrations, scheduled for April 27, are held on a grand scale, pink party president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that the event should offer hope for the people of Telangana. During a meeting he held with party leaders from the erstwhile Nizamabad and Medak districts at his Erravalli farmhouse, he said: Organise constituency-wise preparatory meetings and ensure that a large number of peo

KOLKATA: Seven people, including four children and two women, were killed in a gas cylinder blast at a house in Pathar Pratima in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Monday night, a senior police officer said. A woman also suffered injuries in the explosion that took place in Dholahat village of Pathar Pratima block around 9 pm, he said. All the bodies have been recovered. The injured woman was rescued from the house and admitted to hospital, Sunderban Police District SP Koteswara Rao to

NEW DELHI: Over 80 per cent of people with disability, especially those who have Haemophilia and multiple disabilities, in the country, lack health insurance, while 42 per cent have not even heard of the central governments flagship programme, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), a latest nationwide survey has found. The survey, conducted by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), a disability rights group, surveyed 5,000 people with

NEW DELHI: Asserting that the confidence in the judicial system seems to be on the decline in people's perception, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has said alternatives can only be found when both the government and the judiciary accept that the systems in place, including for judges' appointments, are not working. In an interview with PTI , Sibal talked about what ails the judicial system, citing examples of how bail is not being granted in most cases by district and sessions courts, and highlighted

BILASPUR: Former Congress MLA from Bilaspur Bamber Thakur was shot at by unidentified people at his residence here on Friday, police said. Thakur along with his personal security officer were injured in the attack, police said. The attackers fired around 12 rounds of bullets, an eye witness said. The former MLA was sitting in the courtyard of the government accommodation allotted to his wife in Bilapsur along with others when four people came and opened fire. Thakur suffered a bullet injury on h

NEW DELHI: People living near river drains are highly prone to cancer, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had conducted a study that revealed that people dwelling near river drains are highly prone to cancer. She said the results of the study revealed that lead, iron and aluminium exceeded the permissible limit of the Central Pollution Control Board.

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Mauritius trip, saying it is frequent flier time even as the people of Manipur continue to wait for a visit by him. The opposition party claimed that the prime minister's efusal to visit Manipur for almost two years is really an insult to the people of the state. Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said, It is Frequent Flier time and the PM is off to Mauritius now. But even

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

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

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,

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