Guwahati: With the insurgency problem in the Northeast more or less solved, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday advised the police in the region to change their approach and work to ensure that people get their rights, including the rights to life and property. For four decades, the focus of the police in the Northeast was on fighting insurgency. Now that insurgency is gone, it will work to protect the rights of citizens as guaranteed by the Constitution. We have to change the focus and tr

CHANDIGARH: Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala was cremated today with full state honours in Teja Khera village in Sirsa district. Chautala's younger son Abhay Singh Chautala, an INLD leader, elder son Ajay Singh Chautala, who heads the JJP party, and other family members, including former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, Chautala's brother Ranjit Chautala, were present in Teja Khera. The funeral pyre was lit amid chants of Vedic hymns by priests. Political leaders cutting

KUWAIT CITY: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday arrived here in the Gulf nation on a two-day visit where he will meet the Indian diaspora and hold talks with Kuwaiti leadership to strengthen the India-Kuwait friendship across various sectors. Modi is visiting Kuwait the invitation of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. His visit to Kuwait will be the first of any Indian Prime Minister to the Gulf nation in 43 years. Landed in Kuwait to a warm welcome. This is the first v

NEW DELHI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed an agreement to collaborate on activities related to astronaut training, mission implementation, and research experiments. The agreement was signed by ISRO Chairman S. Somanath, who is also Secretary, Department of Space (DoS), and Dr Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA. According to ISRO, the agreement establishes a framework for cooperative activities in human space exploration and re

MUMBAI: leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday hinted that his party might go solo in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election without exiting the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Talking to reporters, Raut said party workers were insisting the organisation go solo in the local body polls, as there were more aspirants than for the Lok Sabha or state assembly polls. Talks are on between Uddhav Thackeray and other party leaders (about whether to go solo) for the BMC polls. Workers want the party to contest

AHMEDABAD: Two people were injured in a parcel bomb explosion in Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, sparking widespread alarm. Initial police investigation revealed the blast was a result of a family feud. The accused, Rupen Barot, allegedly sent the explosive parcel to target his ex-wifes brother, Baldevbhai Sukhdiya, whom he blamed for his divorce. A person came to my house with a parcel, but I refused to accept it as I had not ordered anything, Baldevbhai told the media. The delivery person claimed that S

KALABURAGI: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on B R Ambedkar and alleged that he was itten by a rabid dog. Addressing reporters here, the Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology said, I don't know whether I will get a place in Heaven if I chant the name of God in seven births but by chanting the name of Ambedkar in this birth we will get political, social, economic equality and a life of self-esteem. Taking

The Centre has amended the Conduct of Election Rules thereby restricting access to certain documents. The move comes close on the heels of the Punjab and Haryana High Court directing the Election Commission (EC) to provide all poll-related documents during the recent Haryana Assembly elections. On December 20, the Union ministry of law and justice notified that the general public cannot access all poll-related documents but can get records specified in the Conduct of Election Rules. This was don

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor were involved in a war of words over a 2009 dinner hosted by Puri at his residence in New York which was attended by Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. Puri was then India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Shashi Tharoor had mentioned meeting George Soros at Puri's residence in New York. The ruling BJP had accused senior leaders in the Congress of colluding with Soros to destabilise the country. Puri claim

The suspect on trial for raping and murdering a 31-year-old doctor has pleaded not guilty, his lawyer said Saturday, a crime that appalled the nation and triggered wide-scale protests. The discovery of the doctor's bloodied body at a government hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata on August 9 sparked nationwide anger at the chronic issue of violence against women. Sanjoy Roy, 33, the lone accused in the case, pleaded not guilty before the judge in a closed court on Friday in Kolkata, his lawy

Warrant of arrest issued against former cricketer Robin Uthappa in PF case

CHANDIGARH: The Union Ministry of Defence has recommended the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) for approval of the Bhubhu Jot tunnel in Himachal Pradesh as an alternative route to Leh-Ladakh to be designated as a project of strategic importance. The Ministry of Defence highlighted the critical role the highway and tunnel would play, significantly enhancing the operational readiness of the armed forces in forward areas. Apart from its strategic significance, the tunnel was expected

JAISALMAR: The 55th GST Council meeting held on Saturday concluded without any major decisions being taken. The much-anticipated decision on reducing GST rates for health and life insurance premiums has been deferred, as the Council believes further discussions are required before moving forward. The Group of Ministers (GoM) on insurance has recommended a complete waiver of GST on premiums paid towards health insurance policies with cover up to Rs 5 lakh. It has also suggested no GST on premiums

India's total forest and tree cover has increased to 25.17 per cent in 2023 from 24.62 per cent as per the latest India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023. The forest cover has minimally increased, compared to tree cover in the country. Meanwhile, first-time trees grown under agroforestry have also been covered. The ISFR 2023 report recorded forest cover and tree cover was 25.17 per cent. The total forest cover was 7,15,342.61 sq km which is 21.76 per cent of the geographical area of the country

Ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has reportedly approved the Enforcement Directorate's request to prosecute AAP Chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, according to news agency ANI . AAP, however, has called the reports as false and misleading and asked the ED to show the copy of the sanction given by the Lt Governor. On December 5, the Enforcement Directorate had sought permission for sanction of prosecution

LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying that he should apologise for his statement on B R Ambedkar. If this does not happen, the BSP will protest across the country on December 24, she said. In a series of posts on X in Hindi, Mayawati said, Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the author of the original book in the form of the super-humanistic and welfare Constitution for the self-respect and human rights of the Dalits, deprived,

NEW DELHI: India's total forest and tree cover has increased to 25.17% in 2023 from 24.62% as per the latest India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023. The forest cover has minimally increased compared to tree cover in the country. Meanwhile, first-time trees grown under agroforestry have also been covered. The ISFR 2023 report recorded forest cover and tree cover was 25.17%. The total forest cover was 7,15,342.61 sq km which is 21.76% of the geographical area of the country and the tree cover is

CHANDIGARH: An explosion-like sound heard outside the Wadala Bangar police chowki in Punjab's Gurdaspur district triggered panic in the area, prompting police to launch an investigation, officials said on Saturday. This is the third such incident in the past seven days. A blast occurred at the Islamabad police station in Amritsar on December 17. No one was injured in it. The Gurdaspur incident occurred around 9.30 pm on Friday, according to the officials. They said local people heard the explosi

RAIPUR: As members of Parliament clashed in both Houses on who respected the Constitution more, the issue was settled by a Scheduled Caste couple in a remote Chattisgarh village. Pratima and her beau, Yaman Lahre, entered into matrimony by taking an oath on the Preamble of the Constitution. They trusted the Constitution more than traditional marriage rituals. No mantras were chanted. They confirmed their marriage by exchanging garlands and circumambulated the image of the Constitutions architect

BENGALURU: Cyclones especially tropical cyclones, are large-scale phenomena with destructive impacts. A study by researchers from IISc shows that the mixing of oceans and cyclones is reducing the sea surface temperature and this is reducing evaporation, which will potentially increase the intensity of future cyclones. In the study titled- Enhanced Ocean Mixing During the Passage of Tropical Cyclone- the researchers explained that temperatures are dropping by 0.5 degrees Celsius and the sea surfa

Hundreds of environmentalists, civil society organizations urged the President of India Droupdi Murmu to withdraw paramilitary forces deployed to quell indigenous peoples protest against proposed 11000 MW hydropower dam surveys in Siang valley of Arunachal. They said the proposed dam will cause disasters and loss of biodiversity and indigenous habitats. According to the letter written to the Murmu, over 351 concerned citizens activists, researchers, lawyers, scientists, journalists, experts, c

MUMBAI: The search operation launched by naval boats to locate a seven-year-old boy missing after a Navy craft rammed into a ferry off the Mumbai coast three days ago continued on Saturday, an official said. The SAR (search and rescue) operation will continue at least till Saturday evening, the official said. With the recovery of the body of a 43-year-old man on Thursday evening, the death toll in the December 18 tragedy rose to 14. The Navy has launched a probe into one of the deadliest crashes

UJJAIN: A 30-year-old woman died after her 'dupatta' got caught in a potato-peeling machine at a food centre of the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain on Saturday, an official said. The accident occurred at the temple's Anna Kshetra in the morning, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Laxmi Narayan Garg told reporters. He said employees of a private security service and other women on the premises informed that the victim, Rajni Khatri, was working in the bhojanshala (kitchen) when her '

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

JAIPUR: The death toll in the LPG tanker accident on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway rose to 14 on Saturday, an official said here. He said more than 30 people who suffered burn injuries in the massive crash are undergoing treatment. Five charred bodies were received yesterday. Eight others have died. Total 14 deaths have been reported so far. Twenty-seven patients are admitted to SMS hospital and undergoing treatment. Seven are on ventilator support, Dr Sushil Bhati, Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital Sup

NEW DELHI: As he embarked on a two-day visit to Kuwait, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India and the Gulf nation have shared interest in peace, security and stability of the West Asian region. Modi's visit to Kuwait is taking place two weeks after the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria and the continuing Israeli offensive in Gaza. In a departure statement, Modi said his talks with top Kuwaiti leadership would be an opportunity to chalk out a roadmap for a futu

SINGAPORE: A 25-year-old Indian-origin man in Singapore was sentenced to one year, five months and six weeks' jail after he pleaded guilty to one count each of assaulting his father and molesting a woman in separate incidents. Arjune Ravi rained blows on his 64-year-old father and continued the assault, despite knowing that police officers were waiting to be let into their apartment unit (flat) on May 10, The Straits Times newspaper reported. Police officers later arrested Arjune and the father

DEWAS: A couple and their two children were killed in a fire that broke out at a milk parlour-cum-house in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district in the early hours of Saturday, police said. The blaze erupted on the premises in the Nayapura area around 4.45 am, an official said. We received information about a fire in a milk parlour in Nayapura, and a family was living in the same premises, Nahar Darwaja police station in-charge Manju Yadav told PTI. She said the victims, a couple and their two childre

NEW DELHI: The winter session of Parliament, which saw unprecedented clashes between the Opposition and the ruling BJP, came to a close on Friday with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar cautioning the members to maintain dignity and decorum of the Houses. Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die amid protests by the Opposition and treasury benches over the alleged insult to B R Ambedkar and directions by Speaker Om Birla to members against hold

GUWAHATI: With the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognising tea from the Camellia sinensis plant is a healthy beverage, the North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) raised a toast to it. On December 19, the FDA issued a rule to update the healthy nutrient content claim to help consumers identify foods that are particularly useful as the foundation of a diet that is consistent with dietary recommendations. Fantastic news for the tea industry, said Peter F Goggi, president of Tea A

NEW DELHI: The Winter Session of the Rajya Sabha concluded on December 20, barely recording a productivity of 40 per cent, much of the time spent on the Oppositions attempts to remove Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar from office, accusing him of bias. Dhankhar adjourned the House sine die but not before urging members to choose between meaningful debate and destructive disruption. He reproached the trend of publicising notices through the media before parliamentary consideration and taking recourse to

SRINAGAR: The proposed GST hike from 12 to 28 percent on Kashmir shawls valued over Rs 10,000 has caused anxiety among J&K artisans and dealers. The Group of Ministers on rate rationalisation led by Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Samrat Chaudhary has recommended raising taxes on textile products including Kashmiri shawls and crewel items from 12 per cent to 28 per cent for items priced above Rs 10,000. This proposal is set to be discussed during the 55th GST council meeting at Jaisalmer, Rajasth

NEW DELHI: For the Mahakumbh at Prayagraj, a culture village, called Kalagram, will be set up on over 10 acres at Daraganj along the banks of the Ganga and it will have demarcated spaces for seven zonal cultural centres (ZCC), officials said. The marked areas are named aangans (courtyards), where the ministry of culture plans to showcase art and crafts from all member states and union territories (UT). Exhibitions on the theme of Kumbha, including an immersive display, food court, and activity a

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday announced judicial probes into the Parbhani violence over the alleged desecration of a replica of the Constitution and the murder of a sarpanch in Beed district. He constituted a special investigation team in the sarpanch murder case. The incidents in Beed and Parbhani are unfortunate. The state government has taken the serious note of both these incidents. We will have SIT investigation and judicial probe in the Beed murder case, Fa

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government has announced the formation of a Char Dham Yatra Authority to make the pilgrimage to the four shrines Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri more accessible and convenient for devotees. During a meeting held on Friday, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami directed officials to gather suggestions from stakeholders by January 15 and complete the establishment of the Authority by January 30. Dhami called for improved management of the Char Dham Yatra by incorporating

The National Green Tribunal has come to the rescue of endangered feral horses in Assams Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. The tribunal issued notices to the Centre and the state government seeking a status report of the animal. Taking note of reported falling number of feral horses due to smuggling, habitat loss and floods, it said urgent intervention was needed. The Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, located in Assams eastern fringe, is one of the few places in the world which is home to feral horses. T

NEW DELHI: The government on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities were reported from Bangladesh this year up to December 8. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh gave the information in a written response, citing data from minority and human rights organisations. He said the Indian High Commission in Dhaka is closely monitoring the situation, adding that New Delhi has raised the issue with Dhaka. The Government of Ind

BHOPAL: An MUV stuffed with bags containing more than 52 kg gold bullions (bricks) worth over Rs 40 crore and around Rs 10 crore cash was found parked at a desolate place on the outskirts of Bhopal on Thursday-Friday intervening night. The discovery of the vehicle at an open area amid a clutch of farmhouses belonging to rich and powerful people and the seizure of the unaccounted gold and cash in Mendori (Ratibad) area assumed significance as it happened during two raids one by the I-T departmen

SRINAGAR: Kashmir is bracing up for Chilai Kalan, the harshest winter period of 40 days which starts from December 21. During the 40-day period, Kashmir remains in grip of intense cold wave conditions with maximum chances of snowfall and rainfall and the night temperatures staying many degrees below freezing point. The water bodies freeze during nights, with people heating water supply lines to defreeze taps. A day before the Chilai Kalan, Srinagar recorded coldest night of the season with mercu

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police's Crime Branch will investigate the case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with a scuffle on the Parliament premises, which left two BJP MPs injured a day earlier. On Thursday, an FIR was registered against Gandhi at Parliament Street Police following BJP's complaint, accusing him of physical assault and incitement after MPs Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput were injured . The FIR has been registered under sections 115 (voluntary causing hurt), 117

NEW DELHI: The Indian Embassy in Tripoli is closely following the situation of a batch of Indian workers in Libya who had travelled to that country without proper documents, and working to facilitate their return, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters that the Indian Embassy is in touch with Libyan authorities to arrange for the exit permit of the workers. According to reports, the workers were promised jobs in a cement factory. These In

BHOPAL: An MUV stuffed with bags containing more than 52 kg gold bullion (bricks) worth over Rs 40 crore and around Rs 10 crore unaccounted cash, was found parked at a desolate place on the outskirts of Bhopal on Thursday-Friday intervening night. The discovery of the vehicle in an open space amid a clutch of farmhouses belonging to rich and influential people and the subsequent seizure of the unaccounted gold and cash in Mendori (Ratibad) area of Bhopals outskirts assumed particular significanc

RAIPUR: JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation. The preamble of our Constitution does set lofty standards indeed. And now a couple in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district have sealed their allegiance with an oath on this very preamble. The unique marriage ceremony held at Kapu villa

As part of its pro-farmers stance since assuming power for its third term, the government on Friday approved an increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for copra for the 2025 season. The hike includes a rise of Rs 422 per quintal for milling copra and Rs 100 per quintal for ball copra. Briefing the media after the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, In order

Jagjit Singh Dallewal, the farmers leader who is on a fast unto death, on Friday wrote a letter requesting the Supreme Court to direct the Centre to honour the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture. The letter urged the apex court to ask the Union Government to respect the sentiments of farmers and enact a law for Minimum Support Price (MSP) as suggested by the Committee and also meet other farmer demands as soon as possible. The letter written under the letter h

GUWAHATI: The Manipur government said the Centre reimposed the Protected Area Regime in Manipur as well as Mizoram and Nagaland. In light of growing security concerns arising out of influx from neighbouring countries, the Ministry of Home Affairs has reimposed the Protected Area Regime in the states of Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland, a Manipur government statement said. With this reimposition, the movement of foreigners visiting Manipur will be closely monitored, and they are required to obtain

NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Women said on Friday it has urged the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman to take action against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over BJP MP Phangnon Konyak complaint he misbehaved with her during a protest on the Parliament's premises. In a statement, the NCW said it has taken suo-motu cognisance of the alleged incident on on Thursday, and swift action should be taken to ensure such incidents are addressed and the dignity of women parliame

Eleven days after Bangalore techie Atul Subhash died by suicide , his mother, Anju Devi, on Friday filed a habeas corpus petition before the Supreme Court seeking a direction to all concerned parties to immediately trace and produce her grandson and grant his custody to her. A two-judge Supreme Court bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice N Kotiswar Singh issued notices to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka to act on the plea and fixed the matter for further hear

RANCHI: In a major shocker to the Jharkhand government, the Central government has halted the release of nearly Rs 1,600 crore allocated to the state under the 15th Finance Commission's recommendations. According to government sources, the state has been deprived of the funds allocated to it due to the prolonged delay in conducting municipal elections in the state. Notably, Municipal elections in 13 municipal bodies across Jharkhand have been pending since 2020. The tenure of representatives in

NEW DELHI: BJP member PP Chaudhary was on Friday appointed chairman of the mega joint committee of Parliament set up to examine bills proposing simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constituted the 39-member committee and appointed Chaudhary, a former Union minister of state for law and justice, as its chairman. Earlier, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal had moved resolutions in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha to refer the Constitution (129