Daily Excelsior News

JAMMU, Dec 16: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has placed Er. Rajesh Kumar Gupta as In-charge Engineer-in-Chief (Secretary Technical) in the Public Works (R&B) Department with immediate effect. According to an order issued by the department, Er Gupta, who was serving as In-charge Chief Engineer (Civil), has been given the additional responsibility in his own pay and grade following the decision of the Council of Ministers. See Order Copy Click Here. The post R&B Appoints Rajesh Kumar Gupta As I

JAMMU, Dec 16: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has placed Er. Sunil Gandotra, In-charge Superintending Engineer (Mechanical), as In-charge Chief Engineer (Mechanical) with immediate effect. An order issued by the Public Works (R&B) Department said the placement has been made in his own pay and grade following the decision of the Council of Ministers. Consequent upon the order, Er. Gandotra has been posted as In-charge Chief Engineer, Mechanical and Hospitals Directorate, Jammu. See Order Copy C

New Delhi, Dec 16: Several opposition MPs protested in the Parliament House complex on Tuesday over the VB-G RAM G Bill that has become a new flashpoint with the government, as they accused the BJP-led NDA dispensation of insulting Mahatma Gandhi and demanded the withdrawal of the proposed legislation. Soon after the government introduced the bill in Lok Sabha seeking to replace MGNREGA, Congress Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, DMKs TR Baalu, RSPs N K Premchandran, a

JAMMU, Dec 16: The Public Works (Road and Building) Department of the Jammu and Kashmir Government has ordered the placement of 8 Incharge SEs (Civil) as Incharge CEs(Civil). Consequently, the Department also ordered their adjustment in different zones and offices. See Order Copy Click Here. The post R&B Deptt Places 8 Incharge SEs As Incharge CEs appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

New Delhi, Dec 16: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed the bill on rural employment an insult to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, as he accused the Narendra Modi government of seeking to eliminate the secure livelihood of the rural poor after destroying the future of Indias youth through severe unemployment. Several opposition MPs protested in the Parliament House complex on Tuesday over the VB-G RAM G Bill that seeks to replace MGNREGA and has become a new flashpoint [] The post Modi Tr

Srinagar, Dec 16: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti on Tuesday called Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumars act of pulling down the veil off a Muslim womans face as shameful, saying he should step down with decency and dignity if his health was not good. This is a shameful act. We respect Nitish ji because he is an old man. But, if you are that old that God forbid, you have become so much senile that on one hand [] The post Please Step Down: PDP Leader Iltija Mufti Slams Nitish Ove

MELBOURNE, Dec 16: Three Indian students were among 40 people injured in the terrorist attack on Sydneys Bondi Beach in Australia, according to a media report on Tuesday. Two out of these three students are believed to be receiving treatment in the hospital, The Australia Today news portal reported. The names of the Indian students injured during Sundays attack have not been disclosed yet. The Indian students sustained injuries during the shooting, and their exact condition has not been [] The

Srinagar, Dec 16: After a brief respite, Kashmir witnessed a sharp drop in night temperatures, with minimum readings settling below the freezing point across most parts of the valley, officials said on Tuesday. Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 1.8 degrees Celsius, nearly four degrees down from the Monday nights 1.9 degrees Celsius, they said. A thick layer of fog engulfed the city and most other parts of the valley, particularly areas around [] The post

BEIJING, Dec 16: China reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen international anti-corruption efforts during the opening of the 11th session of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) Conference in Doha yesterday. Leading Chinas delegation, Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying underscored the importance of global cooperation in tackling corruption. In her address, Hua highlighted Chinas success in its anti-corruption drive and the significant role of the Communist Party of Chinas (

COLOMBO, Dec 16: Over 600 schools in three cyclone-affected provinces of Sri Lanka will not be reopening for the third term, and the students will be promoted without tests, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday. The Ministry of Education directed schools to refrain from conducting term tests for Grades 6 to 10 for the third term of the 2025 academic year, reported Newsfirst Lanka portal. In Sri Lanka, institutions which are primarily government-run divide the academic year into [] The post

KARACHI, Dec 16: Eighteen people were abducted by unidentified gunmen in Pakistans Sindh province while they were en route to Quetta in a bus. The incident took place near the Ghotki area on Monday night when the attackers opened fire on the bus at the Highway Link Road close to the Sindh and Punjab border, and took hostage 18 male passengers. The driver and a few passengers were injured in the firing. A total of 18 to 20 attackers [] The post Gunmen abduct 18 bus passengers in Pakistan appeare

ISLAMABAD, Dec 16 : The Russian and Pakistani energy ministries are discussing an oil agreement, and Pakistan would like to see it signed, Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said in an interview with Sputnik. These are all areas which, you know, play to Russias strength. And we would be quite keen for them to come and, you know, take this equation forward with Pakistan. But as I said, this is being currently explored with the ministry of energy on both [] The post Pakistan, Russia dis

JAMMU, Dec 16: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has constituted a Union Territory-level Coordination Committee to ensure effective integration of the Village Prosperity Resilience Plan (VPRP) with the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) for the year 2025-26. See Order Copy Click Here. The post UT-Level Committee Constituted To Integrate VPRP With GPDP For 202526 appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

JAMMU, Dec 16: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has declared the services of 58 members of the J&K Secretariat (Subordinate) Service as quasi-permanent. See Order Copy Click Here. The post J&K Govt Declares Services Of 58 Secretariat Employees As Quasi-Permanent appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

SRINAGAR, Dec 16: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said she was shocked to see Bihar Chief Minister pulling down the veil off a Muslim womans face, as the former Jammu and Kashmir CM raised questions on Nitish Kumar continuing in office. Having personally known & admired Nitish ji I was shocked to see him pull down a young Muslim womans naqaab. Does one attribute it to old age or the normalisation of humiliating Muslims publicly, Mufti said in a [] The post Mehbooba Mufti Questions Nitish

AMMAN, Dec 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday invited Jordanian companies to invest in India, saying they can look forward to good returns on their investments as the country is growing at over 8 per cent. Speaking at the India-Jordan Business Forum meet here, Modi said India is soon going to become the third-largest economy in the world, and presents opportunities for Jordanian companies to become part of the growth story. He said Indias high GDP numbers are due [] The post PM Modi Inv

New Delhi, Dec 16: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varmas plea challenging the constitution of an inquiry committee by Lok Sabha Speaker to probe corruption charges against him. The inquiry committee comprises Supreme Court judge Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, and senior Karnataka High Court advocate B V Acharya. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih issued notices to the o

KARACHI, Dec 16: A 5.2 magnitude earthquake has struck parts of Pakistans largest city Karachi and some areas of the Balochistan province, officials said. The National Seismic Monitoring Centre said the epicentre of the Mondays earthquake was in Balochistans Sonmiani, with a depth of 12 km and was centred about 87 km from Karachi. A Rescue 1122 official said no casualties or injuries were reported. Karachi had witnessed a series of mild earthquakes in June and July this year, [] The post Earthq

SRINAGAR, Dec 16: Security forces on Tuesday recovered arms and ammunition from a graveyard in the Natipora area here during a search operation linked to an ongoing investigation, officials said. A police team, accompanied by a forensic science laboratory (FSL) team and an executive magistrate, conducted the search at the graveyard, the officials said. They said the searches were carried out as part of an investigation into a case registered under section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Preventio

New Delhi, Dec 16: Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday raised the issue of distress faced by women frontline workers in the Rajya Sabha, seeking doubling of the Centres contribution to their pay and filling of nearly 3 lakh vacancies in the ICDS. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, the former Congress president said ASHA workers, anganwadi workers and helpers, and community resource persons under the National Rural Livelihood Mission remain overburdened and underpaid despite their vit

Udhampur, Dec 16: A wreath-laying ceremony for martyred SOG Jawan Amjad Ali Khan was held at District Police Lines Udhampur on Tuesday. Khan lost his life during an ongoing encounter in the Sohan area of Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. The wreath-lying ceremony was attended by Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat, IGP Jammu zone Bhim Sen Tuti, along with Senior Police officers, CRPF and District Udhampur Administration, who paid rich floral tribute to the martyred. Taking it to [] The pos

NEW DELHI, Dec 16: The national capitals air quality saw some improvement on Tuesday morning, with an AQI of 377 as against 498 a day ago, even as smog blanketed the city, shivering at 8.3 degrees Celsius during the morning hours, reducing visibility. The air quality in the city at 9 am was in the very poor category. Over the past two days, Delhi witnessed worse conditions, with AQI readings crossing 400 at several locations, which falls in the [] The post Delhis Air Quality Very Poor, Haze Per

HYDERABAD, Dec 16: Bulk drug manufacturers have supported Centres proposed MIP to safeguard domestic producers, saying it should be viewed as a time-bound and calibrated corrective measure and not as a protectionist move. In a bid to counter cheap imports from China, which has recently slashed prices, the Centre is in the process of introducing a Minimum Import Price (MIP) following sustained predatory pricing and a sharp decline in import prices, which indicate an imminent threat to the viabili

NEW DELHI, Dec 16: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation appointed Archna Vyas as its India Country Director, the organisation said on Tuesday, making her the first woman to lead its operations in one of its most significant country partnerships. Vyas will oversee the foundations collaboration with Indian government agencies, philanthropists and private sector partners on healthcare, sanitation, gender equality, and agricultural development initiatives aligned with Indias development goals, the f

NEW DELHI, Dec 16: Inox Wind on Tuesday said it has secured a repeat order for 100 MW from Jakson Green. This order is for the supply of IWLs 3.3 MW turbines for projects being developed by Jakson Green in Gujarat, a company statement said. Additionally, IWL will provide limited-scope EPC services for the project along with multi-year Operations & Maintenance (O&M) services post the commissioning of the turbines. With the addition of this order, total order inflow for [] The post Inox Wind secu

BHUBANESWAR, Dec 16: Tata Power is looking to finalise its 10 GW wafer and ingot project, to be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 6,500 crore, by January next year, the companys CEO and MD Praveer Sinha said. The company is in talks with various states and will decide on the location soon, he saidon the sidelines of a company event here. Tata Power is looking to set up a 10 gigawatt wafer and ingot plant as part [] The post Tata Power to finalise Rs 6,500-cr wafer-ingot project by January: CEO P

AMMAN, Dec 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed the outcomes of his state visit to Jordan, describing them as a meaningful expansion of the India-Jordan partnership. During the visit, India and Jordan signed multiple key agreements to strengthen cooperation in strategic sectors. These five agreements include a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on technical cooperation in new and renewable energy, another MoU on collaboration in water resources management and development; a Twinnin

SRINAGAR, Dec 16: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against three individuals, including former Municipal Committee Budgam president Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar, in connection with a 2022 FIR alleging cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and abuse of official position, officials said. The chargesheet was presented before the Court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption against Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Dar, former President of Municipal Committee Budgam, al

New Delhi, Dec 16: A court here on Tuesday refused to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorates money laundering charge against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and five others in the National Herald case. Special Judge Vishal Gogne noted the chargesheet filed in the case is based on an investigation into a complaint by a private person and not on an FIR of a predicate offence. Its cognisance is impermissible in law, the judge said. Reading out the operative [] The post Nationa

MELBOURNE, Dec 16: A mass shooting in which 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydneys Bondi Beach was a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State, Australias federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett said Tuesday. The suspects were a father and son, aged 50 and 24, authorities have said. The older man was shot dead while his son was being treated at a hospital on Tuesday. A news conference by political and law enforcement leaders on Tuesday was [] The post Australian poli

KUPWARA, Dec 16: An Army soldier died in a landmine blast in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday. Havildar Zubair Ahmad of the Armys 13 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry was injured in a land mine blast at Putaha Khan Gali in the Trehgam area of the border district on Monday (December 15, 2025), they said. Officials said, The injured soldier was rushed to a military hospital at Drugmulla but was declared dead on arrival. The post Soldier Dies In Landmine Blast In

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Jammu, Dec 16: Security forces searched for terrorists in Udhampur on Tuesday, a day after a policeman was martyred in a gunfight there, a police officer said. During the encounter on Monday, one terrorist was believed to have been injured, while two policemen suffered minor bullet wounds. The operation has been resumed in the area to track down the holed-up terrorists. The cordon has been further strengthened, the officer said. A joint team of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of [] The post S

SRINAGAR, Dec 16: The Counter Intelligence wing of Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday carried out pre-dawn raids at multiple locations across the Valley as part of its probe against suspects involved in terrorism, glorifying terrorists and promoting radicalisation, officials said. The raids were conducted across seven districts in the Kashmir valley, they said. According to officials, the searches are being conducted in a terror crime case against individuals involved in terrorism, and glorifyi

MATHURA, Dec 16: Four people were killed and over two dozen were injured in an early Tuesday vehicle pile-up on the Yamuna Expressway here, a police officer said. At least seven buses and several smaller vehicles collided with each other in the dense fog around 4.30 am, the officer said. The incident happened under the Baldev Police Station jurisdiction. Four people died, and 25 were injured in the accident. The vehicles collided due to low visibility on the Agra-to-Noida side [] The post Mathur

Udhampur, Dec 16: Two more Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel sustained injuries during the encounter between terrorists and security forces in Udhampur district Monday last evening. Official sources said that during the gunfight, two additional SOG jawans were injured, while the terrorists are also believed to have suffered injuries. Earlier, one SOG jawan was martyred in the encounter after succumbing to critical injuries. The encounter broke out after security forces launched a cordon-a

Srinagar, Dec 16: In a significant development, the Economic Offences Wing of Crime Branch Kashmir has presented a chargesheet in a high-profile fraud case concerning the illegal allotment of a Municipal Committee Budgam building, naming the then municipal president and two others for cheating, forgery and corruption. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Kashmir has presented a chargesheet before the Honble Court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Srinagar in connection with FIR No. 0

Terrorist injured, operation on Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 15: A Special Operations Group (SOG) jawan was martyred and a terrorist believed to be injured in a gunfight at village Sohan in Majalta tehsil of Udhampur district this evening. The martyr has been identified as Amjad Pathan son of Bashrat Khan, a resident of Salva, Mendhar in Poonch district. Two other SOG jawans were injured. The gunfight has stopped but the area has been put under tight security cordon and all [] The post Spe

Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 15: J&K Bank today organised a customer meet at its Dharamshala branch in Himachal Pradesh to strengthen its engagement with customers and understand their expectations. A statement said that the meeting was chaired by the Banks Executive Director, Sudhir Gupta, and was attended by General Manager and Divisional Head Jammu Ashok Gupta, Zonal Head Kathua Suresh Kumar Chowdhary, and other senior bank officials. It said customers from different sections participat

Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 15: Jammu West MLA Arvind Gupta, along with BJP spokesperson Keshav Chopra, today inaugurated a new branch of the popular Shiv Vaishno Dhaba at Talab Tillo, Jammu. A statement said the opening marked an important expansion of the well-known eatery, which has been serving the people of Jammu since 1965 from its original outlet in Gandhi Nagar. Owned by Yog Raj and Rahul Mehra, Shiv Vaishno Dhaba is widely known for its traditional taste, quality food, [] The pos

Excelsior Correspondent KATHUA, Dec 15: Deputy Commissioner Kathua Rajesh Sharma today chaired the District Consultative Committee (DCC) and District Level Review Committee (DLRC) meeting and reviewed the performance of banks with regard to credit deployment, implementation of government schemes and financial inclusion in the district. Reviewing the CreditDeposit (CD) Ratio, the Chairperson directed banks to work towards achieving the national benchmark of 60 percent. It was informed that the di

Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 15: Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare, Sarmad Hafeez, today inaugurated Exhibition-cum-Sale organized by J&K Womens Development Corporation and sponsored by National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC), Ministry for Minorities Affairs, at Kala Kendra, here. Around 80 beneficiaries/SHGs are participating in the event. The Commissioner Secretary inspected stalls and interacted with the exhibitors. He appreciated the efforts of the management

Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 15: AIIMS Jammu has taken a major stride towards advancing healthcare delivery in the Union Territory with the successful initiation of Interventional Cath Lab services. The launch marks a significant milestone in institutes commitment to provide state-of-the-art, minimally invasive, image-guided therapies for the people of J&K. The newly established Cath Lab is equipped with latest Biplane Digital Subtraction Angiography suite, capable of performing a wide spe

Excelsior Correspondent NEW DELHI, Dec 15: Minister of Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh today introduced the landmark Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025 , that is SHANTI Bill 2025, in Parliament on Monday. The Bill aims to repeal both the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 and open Indias highly restricted nuclear power sector to private participation. Last week, the Union Cabinet gave nod to

KOLKATA, Dec 15 : There will be no immediate change in the post of Chancellor of state-aided universities in West Bengal after President Droupadi Murmu withheld assent to two amendment bills proposed by the state government. As a result, the proposal to replace the Governor with the Chief Minister as Chancellor has not come into effect, and Governor C V Ananda Bose will continue to hold the post. According to an official communication from Lok Bhawan, formerly Raj Bhawan, Kolkata, [] The post Pr

Excelsior Correspondent NEW DELHI, Dec 15: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, who is also Incharge Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) called upon States and Union Territories to work in closer coordination with the Centre, as a part of whole of the Government approach and thereby also enable themselves to modernise personnel administration, address procedural delays and strengthen capacity building across services. Addressing the Annual Conference of Secretaries (Personnel/GAD) of States

AMMAN, Dec 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Jordans King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein at the Husseiniya Palace here and discussed issues of bilateral and regional interests. Modi arrived here on a two-day visit to Jordan at the invitation of King Abdullah II. The prime minister was warmly received by King Abdullah II. Modi, who arrived here on the first leg of his three-nation trip aimed at further strengthening ties with them, earlier said [] The post PM Modi meets Jordans King A

NEW DELHI, Dec 15: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday cited Indias 8.2 per cent growth and sovereign rating upgrades by global agencies to say that if India was a dead economy then such upgrades would not have happened. Taking on Opposition members in the Lok Sabha who sought the governments response to US President Donald Trump calling India a dead economy, Sitharaman said India is the fastest-growing major economy, which grew at 8.2 per cent in the September quarter. [] The post Rat

Excelsior Correspondent SRINAGAR, Dec 15: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired a high-level review meeting at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) to assess the overall developmental scenario of Srinagar district and obtain first-hand feedback on public issues from elected representatives. The meeting undertook a detailed review of sector-wise and Assembly Constituency-wise implementation of Government flagship schemes and key development projects being executed under

HOSTON, Dec 15 : A special event celebrating the inclusion of Diwali in UNESCOs cultural heritage list was held at the Indian mission here. The event, organised last week, featured a ceremonial lamp-lighting, cultural performances and a light show, with participation from members of the Indian diaspora and elected officials. The Consulate General of India in Houston, in collaboration with BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and other Indo-American diaspora organisations, hosted the celebration to mark