Daily Excelsior

New Delhi, Mar 20: The price of premium or higher-grade petrol price on Friday was increased by Rs 2 per litre while the rate of bulk diesel sold to industrial users was hiked by about Rs 22 a litre, reflecting the spike in global oil prices amid conflict in the Middle-East. However, the price of normal petrol and diesel remains unchanged. Premium 95-Octane petrol price in Delhi has been increased from Rs 99.89 per litre to Rs 101.89 in the [] The post Premium Petrol Price Up Rs 2, Industrial Di

Jammu, March 20: The ABVP on Friday staged protests at the University of Jammu, demanding the withdrawal of a chapter on former Pakistan president Muhammad Ali Jinnah included in the revised postgraduate political science syllabus under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The university, however, maintained that the chapter on Jinnah is part of academic curricula in several universities across India and aligns with the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines. Led by ABVP Jammu and Ka

New Delhi, Mar 20: The Centre on Friday informed the Supreme Court that it had constituted an expert committee comprising two former apex court judges and an ex-attorney general to review the class 8 NCERT book with a chapter on corruption in the judiciary. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi that the committee comprises senior advocate and former Attorney General KK Venugopal, former top court judge [] The pos

JAMMU, Mar 19: Braving inclement weather, over 31,000 pilgrims visited the holy town of Katra and paid obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi temple atop Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmirs Reasi district on the first day of Navratri, officials said on Friday. As many as 31,690 pilgrims visited the cave shrine and paid obeisance at the temple on the first day of Navratri (Thursday) till 10 pm, a senior official of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board said. [] The post 31K Vaishno Devi Pilgrims Br

New Delhi, Mar 20: The CBI on Friday questioned industrialist Anil Ambani for the second consecutive day in connection with a Rs 2,929-crore cheating case, registered against Reliance Communications Ltd and him on a complaint by the State Bank of India, officials said. Ambani arrived at the agency headquarters at around 10 am, they said. On Thursday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought his responses on alleged fund diversion, misappropriation and other irregularities in the loan fun

SEOUL, Mar 20: A fire at an auto parts factory in South Koreas central city of Daejeon injured at least 53 people on Friday as officials warned the the number of those hurt could rise. Nam Deuk-woo, fire chief of the citys Daedeok district, said 24 of those people were seriously hurt and authorities were searching for at least 14 others believed to have been inside the facility when the fire broke out. Officials could not immediately confirm whether any [] The post Fire at South Korean auto part

SINGAPORE, Mar 20: Singapore authorities said on Friday that Amos Yee Pang Sang was arrested at Changi Airport upon his return to the country and charged under the Enlistment Act for failing to report for pre-enlistment medical screening and remaining outside Singapore without a valid Exit Permit. The Central Manpower Base (CMPB) Enlistment Inspectors detained Yee, a Singapore citizen, who left the country for the United States in 2016 and was granted asylum there in 2017. During his time in []

MATHURA, Mar 20:President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said that a self-reliant India is only possible when its citizens are healthy. Murmu was speaking at the inauguration of the Nand Kishor Somani Oncology Block of Ramakrishna Mission Sevashram. An empowered (sashakt) and Aatma Nirbhar Bharat is only possible when the citizens are healthy, she said. Today, cancer is one of the most serious health challenges. Timely detection of the disease and high-level treatment can play a decisive role in savin

WASHINGTON, Mar 20: The Pentagon has requested USD 200 billion in supplemental funding for the ongoing war against Iran, sending the proposal to the White House three weeks after hostilities began. The White House will be reviewing the request before formally submitting it to Congress. The sum, nearly a quarter of the United States annual defense budget, has already drawn scrutiny from moderate Republicans who would play a key role in approving the funds. Obviously, it takes money to kill [] The

COLOMBO, Mar 20: Sri Lanka refused permission for the US to land two of its warplanes in the islands southeast Mattala International Airport in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament here on Friday. Dissanayake said that two US warplanes from Djibouti asked for permission to come to Sri Lanka on March 4 and 8. Both requests were rejected, he said. We want to maintain our neutrality despite many pressures. We wont give in. The Middle East war poses [] The post Sri Lanka r

NEW DELHI, Mar 20: Union minister Jayant Chaudhary allegedly received a death threat from an unknown caller, triggering a review of his security and a police probe based on a complaint lodged in the matter, officials said on Friday. Police said the caller has been traced to Murshidabad in West Bengal. Chaudhary, the minister of state (Independent Charge) for skill development and entrepreneurship, received the threat call around 11 am on March 18 from an unidentified number, the officials said.

NEW DELHI, Mar 20: Luxor Writing Instruments Pvt Ltd on Friday announced a long-term partnership with Crayola LLC, bringing products of Americas leading brand in childrens creative expression and art items to the Indian market. Under the partnership, co-branded Luxor Crayola products will be manufactured in India, Luxor Writing Instruments said in a statement. This is the first time in Crayolas history that the brand has adopted a sub-branding approach, an endorsement that reflects both strategi

NEW DELHI, Mar 20: Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd on Friday announced addition of 159 rooms to its portfolio through the launch of two new resorts in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The launches of Club Mahindra Amba Ghat (Maharashtra) and Club Mahindra Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh) supports FY26s goal of 1,000 new rooms and 12,000 keys by FY30, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd (MHRIL) said in a statement. The two new properties strengthen the companys presence across Western and [] T

NEW DELHI, Mar 20:The International Energy Agency (IEA) has advocated a set of immediate demand-side measures, including work-from-home, lower speed limits, and reduced air travel to cushion the impact of a historic global oil supply shock triggered by disruptions in the Middle East. Oil prices spiked to over USD 100 per barrel after the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehrans sweeping retaliatory actions. For India, which imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil needs, the surge in [] The pos

NEW DELHI, Mar 20: Realty firm Max Estates Ltd expects Rs 3,000 crore revenue from a new housing project in Noida. In a regulatory filing on Friday, the company said it has launched a residential community Estate 105 located in Sector 105, Noida, Uttar Pradesh. This project is part of a larger 10.33 acre planned development, with the first phase estimated to have Gross Development Value (GDV) of Rs 3,000 crore. The GDV means the sale value of the properties [] The post Max Estates aims Rs 3K cr

Jammu, Mar 20: As the heavy snowfall disrupted traffic movement in several parts of the Jammu region, the Border Roads Organisation has intensified snow clearance on the Mughal Road and the BasohliBaniBhaderwah road, officials said on Thursday. Following heavy snowfall in the area on Tuesday, Mughal Road, connecting the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in the Jammu region with south Kashmirs Shopian, was closed for vehicular traffic. Snow clearance is underway on Mughal Road in Poonch

New Delhi, Mar 20: Central Board of Direct Taxes on Friday notified the rules for Income-tax Act, 2025 which provided enhanced tax benefit for HRA to salary earner but makes disclosure of landlord-tenant relationship mandatory. The Income-tax Rules, 2026 will operationalise the simplified direct tax legislation that was approved by Parliament last year and will come into effect from April 1. These rules may be called the Income-tax Rules, 2026. They shall come into force on the April 1, 2026, []

New Delhi, Mar 20: Gold prices jumped by Rs 1,914 to Rs 1.46 lakh per 10 grams in futures trade on Friday, tracking firm global trends amid easing geopolitical tensions in West Asia. On the Multi Commodity Exchange, the yellow metal for April delivery increased by Rs 1,914, or 1.32 per cent, to Rs 1,46,868 per 10 grams. Analysts said the recovery in gold prices was supported by improving market sentiment following signs of easing tensions in West Asia. The [] The post Gold Rises Rs 1,914 To Rs 1

NEW DELHI, Mar 20: Lieutenant Governor Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital. The Prime Minister wrote on X: Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena met Prime Minister @narendramodi. The post Ladakh LG Vinai Kumar Saxena Meets PM Modi appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

Varanasi (UP), Mar 20: A Varanasi court has sent 14 people, who had allegedly hosted an Iftar party and eaten chicken biryani on a boat in Ganga river, to judicial custody, an advocate in the case said on Friday. Additional Civil Judge (Sr.Div.)/ACJM Amit Kumar Yadav on Thursday sent all the accused to the 14-day judicial custody after rejecting the bail applications of the accused. According to advocate Shashank Shekhar Tripathi, representing complainant Rajat Jaiswal, the accused had threatene

NEW DELHI, Mar 20: The Delhi High Court on Friday listed for hearing on March 23 a lawsuit by the Indian cricket teams head coach Gautam Gambhir to stop the misuse and exploitation of his image, voice and other attributes of his personality for creating deepfake content and for commercial gain. Gambhirs counsel submitted before Justice Jyoti Singh that besides infringement of his personality rights, it was also a question of his dignity. Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai asserted that the [] The post

NEW DELHI, Mar 20: The government on Friday invited bids for setting up manufacturing facilities for 6,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) of magnets under the Rs 7,280-crore Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnet. The heavy industries ministry has issued a request for proposal (RFP) for selection of beneficiaries to establish integrated Sintered NdFeB Rare Earth Permanent Magnet manufacturing units. The pre-bid conference will be held on April 7 while the bid due

MUMBAI, Mar 20:The rupee crashed 60 paise to a fresh intra-day low of 93.49 against the US dollar on Friday as the greenback strengthened further and FII outflows continued unabated amid the ongoing West Asia conflict. Elevated global crude oil prices put further pressure on the local unit, forex traders said, adding that even positive sentiments at the domestic equity markets could not prevent the crash. Suggestions that global crude oil prices may hit USD 180/barrel also weighed on sentiments.

NEW DELHI, Mar 20: Shares of HDFC Bank continued to fall on Friday, declining over 2 per cent, after its non-executive chairman Atanu Chakraborty abruptly resigned, citing differences over values and ethics. The blue-chip stock dropped 2.36 per cent to Rs 780.75 on the BSE. At the NSE, it edged lower by 2.19 per cent to Rs 780.70. Shares of HDFC Bank dived over 5 per cent on Thursday. HDFC Banks non-executive chairman Atanu Chakraborty abruptly resigned, citing differences over [] The post HDFC

DEHRADUN, Mar 20: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expanded his cabinet on Friday, with five MLAs taking oath as ministers at the Lok Bhavan here. With the induction of the new ministers Khazan Das, Bharat Singh Chaudhary, Madan Kaushik, Pradeep Batra, and Ram Singh Kaida the Uttarakhand cabinet has reached its maximum strength of 12, officials said. During a ceremony held at the Lok Bhawan here, Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd.) administered the oath of office [] The post Utt

DUBAI, Mar 20: Israels military said Friday it struck sites in Syria in response to attacks against the Druze. The army said it struck infrastructure belonging to Syria in response to attacks on Druze population in Sweida in southern Syria. Syrias state-run SANA news agency did not immediately acknowledge the attack, which marks the first Israeli attack on Syria as its war with the United States targeting Iran continues. Israel has a significant Druze population. Israel previously has intervened

TIRUPATI, Mar 20: Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Friday said while much of the world is gripped by the conflict in West Asia, India continues to stand out as a haven of spirituality, development and peace. On the occasion of Ugadi, Reddy visited Tirumala to seek the blessings of Lord Venkateswara Swamy. While much of the world appears to be affected by the West Asia conflict, India today stands out as a beacon of safety, spirituality, [] The post Union Minister Kishan Reddy hail

Researchers extracted tree cores from old deodar trees in Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh, to reconstruct 396 years of rainfall history of the spring season. They found that the spring of 2022 was the driest on record and the last two decades are the driest period in the entire 396-year reconstruction. The findings have implications for water security, disaster management, and agriculture across northern India, which depends on snowmelt from the Himalayas. Vandana K reports Climate science researcher P

MATHURA (UP), Mar 20: President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a three-day visit to Uttar Pradesh, on Friday met Premanand ji Maharaj at his Ashram Radha Keli Kunj in Mathura. The President listened to the sermon given by the saint, officials said. Later in the day, she will visit the Samadhi of Baba Neeb Karori in Vrindavan and pay floral tributes. She will also visit Udiya Baba Ashram and Davanal Kund in Vrindavan. The President will also inaugurate the new [] The post President Murmu On 3-Day Visi

Nagpur, Mar 20: Selfish interests and the desire for dominance were the root cause of conflicts in the world, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Friday, asserting that lasting peace can only be achieved through unity, discipline and adherence to dharma. Addressing a gathering in Nagpur, Bhagwat said that for 2,000 years the world has experimented with various ideas to resolve conflicts with little success. Religious intolerance, forced conversions and ideas of superiority and inferiority still exis

JAMMU, Mar 20: Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department will host Kashmir Travel Mart in April this year to highlight the tourism potential of the region. J&K Tourism is set to host the Kashmir Travel Mart-2026 on 14-15 April, bringing together around 250 stakeholders from over 20 states across the country, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah posted on his official X handle. He said the event will highlight the regions immense tourism potential through craft safaris, curated destination tours, and B2B enga

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New Delhi, Mar 20: Flagging gaps in the probe, a Delhi court has acquitted two men accused of pledging allegiance to banned terrorist organisation ISIS, besides procuring arms and ammunition from Uttar Pradesh for the Islamic State Jammu & Kashmir (ISIS-JK) cadres for executing terrorist acts. Underlining that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal acquitted Jamsheed Zahoor Paul and Parvaiz Rashid Lone, residents of Shopian i

SRINAGAR, Mar 20: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said the efforts of the Election Commission to gerrymander will not change the results in West Bengal Assembly elections, expressing confidence that Trinamool Congress will emerge victorious. No amount of effort by the Election Commission to gerrymander will change the results. Come counting day Mamata Didi will win a thumping majority, Abdullah posted on his personal X handle. Commenting on the large-scale transfers orde

Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 19: Bari Brahmana Industries Association (BBIA) has stated that all the pending issues relating to previously allotted land should be resolved before considering fresh allotments and a clear timeline for handing over the possession should be communicated to entrepreneurs awaiting land allotment. In a letter to Chairman, High Level Land Allotment Committee, Commissioner/ Secretary Industries and Commerce Department, J&K, the BBIA stated that manufacturing sector

Excelsior Correspondent CHANDIGARH, Mar 19: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh today laid the foundation stone of the first-ever dedicated BioFoundry Centre under the Department of Biotechnology at Chandigarh, with an outlay of about Rs 42 crore over the next two years. The facility is being established as a national platform for developing and scaling advanced biomanufacturing processes, particularly in agri-food biotechnology, including sma

Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 19: Manohar Lal, Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs today inaugurated the NHPC Pavilion at the Bharat Electricity Summit 2026, at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi. Prahlad Joshi, Union Minister of New & Renewable Energy Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shripad Naik, Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Pankaj Agarwal, Secretary (Power), Government of India, Bhupender Gupta, CMD, NHPC, Uttam Lal, Director (Personnel),

Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 19: To facilitate devotees during Navratra, Jammu and Kashmir Bank today set up a special cash and note exchange counter at its business unit at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. A statement said the facility aims to provide fresh currency notes and exchange services to pilgrims visiting the shrine. The counter was inaugurated by CEO of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Sachin Kumar Vaishya, along with the Banks General Manager and Divisional Head (Jammu) Ashok

For more than three and a half decades, terrorism cast a long and painful shadow over Jammu and Kashmir. Innocent families lost their loved ones, homes, and livelihoods in a conflict that uprooted social stability and left deep emotional and economic scars. Many survivors were forced to live with grief and insecurity, often without meaningful support or recognition from the system. Today, even though decades have passed and an entire generation has grown up in the aftermath of that violence, []

Koul throws light on party programme Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 19: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jammu & Kashmir, president and Rajya Sabha MP, Sat Sharma CA, along with BJP J&K general secretary (Org) Ashok Koul, addressed a crucial organizational meeting at the party Headquarters, Trikuta Nagar, here, today. The meeting witnessed the presence of BJP J&K vice presidents, Bharat Bhushan, Rakesh Mahajan, and Rekha Mahajan, general secretary, Gopal Mahajan, and other senior leaders. The me

Dr Gautam Sharma Every year on March 20, the global community observes World Oral Health Day (WOHD) to highlight the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene and preventing oral diseases. Spearheaded by the FDI World Dental Federation, this annual campaign brings together dental professionals, policymakers, and communities to promote healthier smiles worldwide. The theme for World Oral Health Day 2026 A Happy Mouth is a Happy Life underscores the vital connection between oral health and over

Excelsior Correspondent NEW DELHI, Mar 19: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, and MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that Indias bioeconomy has expanded from about USD 10 billion in 2014 to over USD 195 billion in 2025, reflecting a massive growth trajectory over the past decade. He said the sector has recorded an annual growth of around 17-18 percent in the last year alone, []

Sanjeev K Sharma JAMMU, Mar 19: Braving the continuous rainfall, devotees of the Goddess in Jammu continued visiting the temples and shrines on Thursday much before the sun was up, as it was the first Chaitra Navratra today. CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO Using umbrellas and rain coats, the devotees continued even from 4 am but after 7 in the morning the pilgrims paid no heed to the rainfall, said Sanjeev Sharma, who runs a shop in Katra where Prasad [] The post Devotees brave rainfall, throng shrine

Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Mar 19: Navreh the beginning of new year as per the Saptrishi Calendar was celebrated by Kashmiri Pandits with traditional religious fervor and gaiety here, today. A huge congregation of devotees attended the annual function held at the Bhagawaan Gopinathji Ashram, Udaiwala, Bohri, here to mark the celebrations. The function started at 2 p.m. sharp with the Guru Vandana. As usual, Guru-Geeta recitation competition was held on the occasion in which 20 competitors pa

MATHURA (UP), Mar 19: President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a three-day visit to Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday visited temples and attended several programmes in Mathura, officials said. The President reached Mathura in the evening at Cant helipad, where Governor Anandiben Patel, UP ministers and senior officials welcomed her. She had a darshan at the ISKCON temple in Vrindavan and also participated in an aarti. The President was welcomed amid the chanting of Naam Sankirtan. She paid floral tributes

JERUSALEM, Mar 19 : Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday and briefed him about the ongoing conflict in West Asia. We value our special strategic partnership with India, the worlds largest democracy, he said in a post on X. Saar said he briefed the Indian minister on developments in Israeli operation against Iran. I said that the (Iranian) regime is carrying out naval terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz. This is not [] The post Israeli F

MUMBAI, Mar 19 : Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday emphasised that stakeholders cooperation can help ensure minimal disruption amid uncertainties in maritime trade in the wake of the evolving situation in West Asia. Speaking at a ceremony to sign the Letter of Intent (LoI) for maritime cooperation between the government and German shipping giant Hapag-Llyod here, Sonowal also said that India is moving steadily towards becoming a leading maritime power on the back of a strong policy p

NEW DELHI, Mar 19 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to leaders of France, Jordan, Oman and Malaysia on Thursday, and discussed the West Asia situation with them. Expressing concern over the evolving situation there, he sought de-escalation of conflict in the region. In separate telephonic conversations with the four leaders, Modi said attacks on energy infrastructure in West Asia are condemnable and can lead to avoidable escalation. He highlighted the need for dialogue and diplomacy for early

NEW DELHI, Mar 19: The inquisitive mind of a 16-year-old Taekwondo player has unraveled an elaborate fraud being committed on thousands of athletes by a body claiming to have Government affiliation and a stunned Sports Ministry is set to file an FIR against it. The teenager, who wants to remain anonymous, had reached out to the ministry asking whether the Youth Khelo India Federation (YKIF) was recognized by it and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) as mentioned on its [] The post How a teens c

NEW DELHI, Mar 19: Silver prices tanked Rs 17,800 to Rs 2.38 lakh per kilogram in the national capital on Thursday, while gold dropped Rs 7,000 to Rs 1.53 lakh per 10 grams following a sharp selloff in global commodity markets. According to the All India Sarafa Association, the white metal slumped by Rs 17,800, or nearly 7 per cent, to Rs 2,38,700 per kg (inclusive of all taxes) from Wednesdays closing level of Rs 2,56,500 per kg. Silver has [] The post Silver crashes Rs 17,800/kg, gold dives Rs