NEW DELHI: Union minister Chirag Paswan on July 26 said he felt sorry to support the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar, charging it with failure to control the law and order situation in the State. Paswan, who heads the LJP (Ram Vilas) -- a constituent of the BJP-led NDA, was talking to reporters in Patna before leaving for Gayaji, where he is scheduled to address a rally. I have heard claims that the recent spurt in violent crimes is linked to the upcoming assembly polls, and there are attempts

RAIPUR: The BJP governments at the Centre and in Chhattisgarh are using probe agencies to intimidate the Opposition and supress its voice, senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot said on Saturday. He was talking to reporters outside Raipur Central Jail, where former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel's son Chaitanya is lodged following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate last week in an alleged liquor scam running into several hundred crore ru

SAGAR: Four members of a family, including a 45-year-old man and his two teenage children, allegedly died by suicide on July 26 by consuming sulphas tablets in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh, police said. The deceased were identified as Manohar Lodhi, his daughter Shivani (18) and son Ankit (16), and their grandmother Phulrani Lodhi (70), Khurai Urban police station in-charge Yogendra Singh Dangi told reporters. The incident occurred in Tehar village, about 12 km away from the Sagar district h

CHANDIGARH: In order to maintain green cover for ensuring ecological balance and to regulate the felling and replanting of trees, the Punjab government has come up with the tree act, The Punjab Protection of Trees Act, 2025 . Under the proposed legislation, no one will be allowed to cut trees in urban areas without permission. Every jurisdiction in the state will have a designated tree officer whose approval will be mandatory before a tree is felled. Sources said that the state forest and wildli

NEW DELHI: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said that frequent disruptions in the House hurt the Opposition more, as they lose the crucial opportunity to hold the government accountable. The remarks came after the first week of the ongoing monsoon session was largely washed out due to repeated protests by Opposition MPs. Speaking at the Sansad Ratna Awards event organised by Prime Point Foundation, Rijiju recalled how bureaucrats sometimes express relief when Parliament is

JAIPUR: Security agencies launched an extensive search operation at the Rajasthan Chief Minister's Office and Jaipur International Airport on Saturday following a bomb threat received via email, officials said. The threat mail, sent to the official email ID of Jaipur airport, warned that both places would be blown up within one to two hours, prompting immediate action from security forces. The anti-bomb squad, police, fire brigade and civil defence teams were swiftly deployed at both the Chief M

JHALAWAR: Just days ago, the cheerful laughter of two siblings echoed through the courtyard of a modest house in Rajasthan's Jhalawar. Today, a deafening silence prevails as the children were among the seven who died in the school building collapse on Friday . Weeping inconsolably, the mother of the duo -- a boy and a girl -- wished God had taken her instead and spared her children. I've lost everything... I had only two children, a boy and a girl, and both are gone. My home is empty... There's

PUNE: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has caused a flutter by revealing that Hinjewadi IT Park in Pune is moving out to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. A video of Pawar's angry outburst while inspecting civic works in Pimpri Chinchwad has gone viral. We are ruined. The entire IT park of Hinjewadi is moving out. It's going out of my Pune, out of Maharashtra to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, don't you care at all? the Pune district guardian minister said while interacting with a local Sarpanch, Ganes

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has echoed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations of large-scale electoral misconduct by the BJP, accusing the ruling party at the Centre of manipulating voter lists and undermining democratic institutions, including the Election Commission of India. In an interview with PTI Videos, Siddaramaiah said Rahul was telling the truth when he alleged that genuine voters were being removed from electoral rolls while fake names were being added. Such t

KOLKATA: South Calcutta Law College, where a student was allegedly gang-raped last month, has decided to deploy Army veterans for campus security, an official said on Saturday. The private security guards will no longer be retained, and former Army personnel will be deployed to ensure that the security of the campus is foolproof, she said. The decision was taken at a meeting of the college's governing body, she added. It was also decided that more CCTV cameras will be installed on the campus, an

GUMLA: Three Naxalites were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand's Gumla district on Saturday, police said. All those killed belonged to JJMP, a splinter group of CPI(Maoist), they said. The encounter happened at Ghagra in the morning, they added. IG (Operations) of Jharkhand Police Michael S Raj told PTI that the operation is still underway.

JAMMU: Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad has called for a unified political approach for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood. Azad also expressed concern over the state of development in Jammu and Kashmir, saying while central projects were progressing, state-level initiatives were completely halted. Even the prime minister and the home minister have committed to restoring it (statehood) on the floor of Parliament. Some mistakes kept happening due to

Over 25 deaths by drowning on an average are reported every day in West Bengal, with half of the deceased being children, a recent survey has said, while advocating more public awareness to prevent such incidents. The numbers add up to over 9,000 people losing their lives annually in West Bengal due to drowning, the survey conducted last year on a population of about 18 million people of the state revealed. The study also found that children between one and nine years of age were the most vulner

MUMBAI:MLA Rohit Pawar has claimed that some ministers in the Maharashtra government have switched off their phones out of fear that they are being tapped. Hitting back, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar demanded proof of the allegations. Phone numbers of some ministers are not reachable. The whispers are that they have switched off their phones out of fear of being tapped. The coming days will tell whether this is a fact or mere whispers, Pawar stated on X on Friday. Rohit Pawar, a s

NEW DELHI: As the stand-off between Centre and the Opposition continued on the fifth day of the Monsoon session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday convened an all-party meeting where Opposition parties agreed to the agenda of taking up a special discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor on Monday in Lok Sabha and the next day in Rajya Sabha, brightening the prospect of normalcy in both Houses. Briefing the media, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Ri

A day after he was shot a showcause notice by his party for criticising the Election Commission (EC) over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, JD(U) MP Giridhari Yadav tells Preetha Nair he hasnt breached the party line. Excerpts: Do you think you crossed the party line by criticising the SIR? My party supremo and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hasnt made any comment on the SIR yet. Then how can one say that I have deviated from the partys position? Ours i

Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd has released the eighth and last ship in a series of anti-submarine warfare shallow water crafts (ASW SWCs) built for the Indian Navy. The ship, named Ajay, was inaugurated at an event in Kolkata on July 21. These ships are versatile platforms and can participate in a variety of operations. Designed with low draughts, the crafts are capable of coastal operations, Low Intensity Maritime Operations, and mine-laying. These 77.6-metre-lo

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met a galaxy of senior Union ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah, in New Delhi on Friday amid growing speculation of a Cabinet reshuffle to exclude underperforming and controversial ministers of the Mahayuti government. Fadnavis was with Shah for over 20 minutes. He also met with the BJP president and Union Minister JP Nadda, along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Power Minister Manoharlal Khattar. No details were available, bu

NEW DELHI: SpiceJet has finalised a lease agreement to induct five Boeing 737 aircraft into its fleet by October 2025. This is scheduled ahead of the commencement of the winter schedule and will cater to the peak winter season as well as the early summer season of 2026 The aircraft are being inducted on a damp lease basis, where operational crew will be shared between the operator and SpiceJet, said an official release. SpiceJet is also in advanced discussions with other lessors to further enhan

NEW DELHI: An Air India Express pilot abruptly halted the flight when it was about to take-off from the Delhi airport to Mumbai on Wednesday (July 23) night and returned to the parking bay. This marks the second time this week that a flight from the stable of the Air India Group aborted take-off at the last minute an Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata had done it on Monday. Air India Express is a subsidiary of Air India. IX 1163, an Airbus A320 model, was scheduled to take off from Terminal

NEW DELHI: A total of 14,599 Anganwadi cum Crches (AWCCs) have been approved by the Centre, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Devi, said these AWCCs will ensure full-day childcare support for children, thereby ensuring their well-being in a safe and secure environment. The Anganwadi cum Crche initiative aims to increase womens workforce participation in the economy. The maximum number of AWCCs set up so far are in

NEW DELHI: The Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme, which aims at providing inclusive and sustainable employment opportunities in the country, will come into effect from August 1. It will be renamed as `PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY). The scheme was cleared on July 1 by the Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi. The benefits of it would be applicable to jobs created between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2027. An official release from the Labour department said, With an outlay of

BHOPAL: All kinds of protests-demonstrations and sloganeering will be banned in the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha during the monsoon session, starting from July 28. The circular recently issued by the Vidhan Sabha secretariat ahead of the session mentions the Assemblys speaker, Narendra Singh Tomar, under the Standing Order 94(2), prohibiting all kinds of sloganeering and demonstrations within the Vidhan Sabha premises. Reacting to the standing order, the deputy leader of opposition and second-tim

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become Indias second-longest serving prime minister in consecutive terms, completing 4,078 uninterrupted days in office. He has now surpassed the 4,077-day tenure of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who served from January 1966 to March 1977. Modi, 74, first assumed office on May 26, 2014, and was sworn in for a third consecutive term in June 2024 following the general elections. He is the first Indian prime minister born after Independence and rem

NEW DELHI: Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that Indias rising geopolitical influence, strategic partnerships, global diaspora, and soft power are key factors which amplify its international presence. Addressing the graduating Scientific Officers today at the 68th Graduation Function in the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Training School, marking a milestone for the institution and the next generation of Indias scientific community, Dr Mishra outlined

NEW DELHI: India has approximately 27.5 million people facing infertility challenges, with male infertility accounting for 4050 per cent of the total cases, experts said here on the occasion of World IVF Day on Friday. This growing prevalence of infertility in both women and men is driven by lifestyle changes, environmental exposures, and undiagnosed medical conditions, underscoring the urgent need for awareness, destigmatization, and inclusive treatment approaches, they said. For too long, infe

NEW DELHI: As many as 164 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the country from April to July 22, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, said most of these deaths were due to comorbidities. There was a slight increase in COVID-19 cases reported by States/UTs from the end of May 2025, which declined significantly since mid-June 2025, the minister said. He further added that with the long-term goal of better p

NEW DELHI: As the parliament gets ready for a discussion on Operation Sindoor next week, in both houses of the Parliament, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on Friday said that the operation is still on and our preparedness level has to be very high. General Anil Chauhan, while speaking at a seminar, pointed out that there are no runners-up in a war, and any military must be constantly alert and maintain a high degree of operational preparedness. An example is Operation Sindoor, which still continues

NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Friday said that COVID-19 vaccination does not appear to increase the risk of sudden deaths. Informing the Lok Sabha, the Health Minister said genetic predisposition and risky lifestyle choices do play a role in unexplained sudden deaths. Quoting the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE) study, titled Factors Associated with Unexplained Sudden Deaths Among Adults Aged 1845 Years in India A Multicentric

SRINAGAR: In a bid to protect the authenticity of Kashmirs famed handicrafts, the administration on Friday issued a seven-day ultimatum to dealers across the Valley to remove all machine-made items, mostly imported from Turkey and Iran, from their showrooms or face blacklisting and deregistration for unfair trade practices under relevant laws. The Department of Handicrafts & Handloom, Kashmir today issued a notice to the Kashmir handicrafts informing them that under the provisions of the Jammu &

BENGALURU: A team of scientists and researchers from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday listed out their unique findings while studying the Black Hole as part of their study. They noted that the X-ray brightness from fascinating and mysterious black hole- GRS 1915+105- fluctuates dramatically over time. It exhibits a unique pattern of alternating low-brightness (dips) and high-brightness (non-dips) phases, each lasting a few hundred seconds. During the high-brightness phase,

MUMBAI: With a cabinet reshuffle on the cards, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday met Union Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah. The meeting between the two top BJP leaders, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Amit Shah was held in Delhi and lasted for more than 20 minutes. Fadnavis also met BJPs national president and Union Minister J.P. Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and senior leader Manohar Lal Khattar. While the details of the meeting were no

KOLKATA: In what appears to be a setback for the West Bengal Government, President Droupadi Murmu has recently sent the Aparajita Bill, passed in the West Bengal State Assembly last year, back to Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, after raising a few questions, sources said on Friday. Subsequently, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose sent back the bill to the office of the Assembly Speaker. Governor of West Bengal Dr CV Ananda Bose had reserved The Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendmen

RANCHI: Rajesh Rajak, who had once worked as a delivery boy to raise funds for his studies, has finally cleared the Jharkhand Civil Services Exam it in his second attempt. According to Rajesh, who has secured Rank 271 in the Jharkhand Civil Services Exam, declared early in the morning on Friday, he also had to work in private school to complete his graduation after his father expired just after he passed class 12 exams. Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) has finally declared the result o

DEHRADUN: The revered Bhadraj Temple, a significant pilgrimage site nestled in the tranquil hills above Mussoorie, has announced a stringent new dress code, requiring all devotees to adhere to modest attire when visiting its sacred premises. The move, effective immediately, aims to uphold the sanctity and spiritual atmosphere of the ancient shrine, which attracts thousands of pilgrims annually. The Bhadraj Temple Committee, representing the Binhar Jaunpur Mussoorie and Pachwadoon regions, has ma

NEW DELHI: Renowned filmmaker and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan made his Parliament debut as he took oath as a Rajya Sabha MP on Friday. His election to the Upper House marks a significant milestone in his political journey. The 69-year-old actor turned politician found MNM in 2018. He was nominated with the support of the ruling DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu. He was promised a Rajya Sabha seat in return for MNM's support during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Hassan was given a de

CHANDIGARH: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday registered two separate cases (First Information Reports) into the alleged assault on Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath by Punjab Police personnel. The CBI has re-registered both the FIRs filed by the Civil Lines Police Station, Patiala, as its own separate cases on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court earlier this month. The premier investigating agency has tasked its special crime unit to carry out investigations in this ca

PATNA: The first phase of the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has been completed, and the names of 65.2 lakh voters are likely to be excluded. Data released by the Election Commission on Friday, the last day for submitting enumeration forms, shows that of the 65.2 lakh voters, of which 22 lakh are dead, 35 lakh have permanently shifted outside Bihar, 7 lakh are enrolled as voters in more than one place and 1.2 lakh are yet to submit their forms. The Election Commission (EC) said

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Kerala government to withdraw its pleas against the state Governor over the delay in approving bills passed by the state assembly. We allow the petitioner to withdraw the plea, said a two-judge bench of Justices P. S. Narasimha and A. S. Chandurkar. The top court passed the order after former Attorney General of India and senior advocate K. K. Venugopal, appearing for the Kerala government, sought the withdrawal of the plea, citing that the issu

NEW DELHI: Aiming to strengthen the Indian Armys air defence capabilities through indigenous solutions, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Friday signed a contract worth approximately Rs 2,000 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the procurement of Air Defence Fire Control Radars under the Buy (IndianIndigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category. The MoD said the contract was signed and exchanged by senior officials of the Ministry and BEL in the presence of Defence Secret

NEW DELHI: In a significant judgment, the Supreme Court on Friday issued 15 pan-India guidelines to address the rising incidents of suicide, safety concerns, and mental health issues among students in educational institutions. The top courts verdict came in response to an appeal against an Andhra Pradesh High Court order, which had rejected a plea to transfer to the CBI the investigation into the death of a 17-year-old National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant under suspicious circu

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan agreed on May 10 for a cessation of firing and military activity as a result of direct contact between the director generals of military operations (DGMOs) of both nations, which was initiated by the Pakistani side, the Centre informed Parliament on Friday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked whether it is a fact that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was arrived at the behest of the US interference just after three days of operations against Pak

BHOPAL: Around 145 bank accounts held by ten companies registered in India are under scanner for allegedly being used by fraudsters to park and rotate money generated from investment frauds, cybercrimes and digital arrest. Ongoing investigations into a major forex trade investment fraud racket (having international links), which was busted by the Madhya Pradesh Polices Special Task Force (MPSTF) a few months back, led the sleuths to identify 145 bank accounts across the country. The accounts wer

MALE: India is proud to be the most trusted friend of the Maldives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday after announcing a Rs 4,850 crore line of credit to the island nation. Modi made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, focusing on consolidating cooperation in areas of trade, defence and infrastructure. The prime minister's visit marked a major turnaround in India-Maldives ties after a spell of unease. Modi also announced that the two co

NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday attacked Rahul Gandhi for his comments on vacant reserved posts for SCs, STs and OBCs in Central universities, alleging that the Congress leader has always practised the politics of falsehood. Ealier in the day, Rahul Gandhi attacked the Modi government over vacant reserved posts in Central universities , calling it not just negligence but a well-planned conspiracy to keep 'Bahujans' out of education, research and policies. The lea

GUWAHATI: The High Court of Meghalaya has sought action from the state government after nearly 4,000 metric tonnes (MT) of allegedly illegally mined coal disappeared from two coal depots. The matter came to light when the Justice BP Katakey (Retd) committee submitted its 31st interim report in the court on Thursday. The court had appointed Katakey a few years ago to recommend measures to be taken by the state government on matters relating to coal. Earlier, the Meghalaya Basin Development Author

NEW DELHI: The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) on Friday successfully conducted flight-trials of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3. The success is seen as a major boost to Indias defence capabilities. According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the tested missile is an enhanced version of the ULPGM-V2, which had been developed and delivered by DRDO earlier. The present trials were carried out in the anti-armour configuration at the Nation

CHANDIGARH: A major controversy has erupted over the inclusion of dance and musical performances in an event to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur in Srinagar. The event was organised by the Language Department of the Punjab Government in association with J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages. It has drawn sharp criticism from Sikh bodies like the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which are objecting to 'singing and dancing' on the occasion. Famous

NEW DELHI: An Agniveer, Lalit Kumar of 7 JAT Regiment, was killed in a landmine blast in the Krishna Ghati sector in the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir on July 25. An army official said the landmine blast took place while the army men were conducting area domination patrol in the Krishna Ghat sector of Poonch district. Immediately after the blast, additional troops were rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. The security officials were ascertaining the cause of the la

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday said the Lok Sabha will hold a special discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor on July 28, amid continued disruptions from the Opposition during the Monsoon Session. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to initiate the discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha on Monday, with the Rajya Sabha expected to take up the debate on Tuesday. Addressing media persons in the national capital, Rijiju stated that L