National / The Sen Times
New Delhi, Mar 29 (PTI) The Congress will reserve 50 per cent of government jobs for women if it is voted to power, former party chief Rahul Gandhi said on Friday, asserting that powerful women will change the destiny of India. Gandhi asked why even today only one in three women is employed and why is there only one woman in 10 government jobs. Isnt the population of women in India 50%? Is the presence of women in higher secondary and higher education not 50%? If so, then why is their share in t
New Delhi, Mar 29 (PTI) The ED is working as BJPs political weapon and it wants to get details of AAPs Lok Sabha election strategy by accessing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals phone, senior AAP leader Atishi alleged on Friday. Kejriwal, who is the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested by the central probe agency on March 21 in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case and is in its custody till April 1. The insistence of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to
United Nations, March 29, 2024: Amid diplomatic tensions over US and Germanys remarks over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals arrest, a spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said we very much hope that in India and any country that is having elections, peoples political and civil rights are protected. According to PTI reports, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric made these remarks on Thursday while he was responding to a question on the politi
Kolkata, Mar 28 (PTI) TMC leader Mahua Moitra has said she will campaign in her Krishnanagar constituency on Thursday, giving a miss to the Enforcement Directorate summons that asked her to appear for questioning at the ED office in New Delhi.. I will be out for campaigning in the Krishnangar constituency in the afternoon, she told reporters. The Enforcement Directorate had issued fresh summons to Moitra and Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani for questioning in a Foreign Exchange Manage
New Delhi, Mar 26 (PTI) Punjab Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Somnath Bharti were among the scores of AAP members detained by police on Tuesday as they gathered at the Patel Chowk here to protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Raising slogans of Inquilab Zindabad and Kejriwal Zindabad, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers and leaders reached the areas metro station in groups, with the party calling for a march to Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence on Lok Kalyan Marg f
NEW DELHI, March 26 (Reuters) Police in the Indian capital detained dozens of opposition supporters on Tuesday as they attempted to march to Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence to protest against last weeks arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal, a key opposition leader whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has governed the national capital territory for a decade, was arrested by the financial crime-fighting agency on corruption charges relating to the citys liquor policy, weeks bef
WASHINGTON, March 26, Updated (Reuters) The U.S. is closely following reports of the arrest of Indian opposition figure Arvind Kejriwal and encourages a fair legal process, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday after Germanys reaction to the case sparked a protest from India. Kejriwal, a national opposition figure and chief minister of Delhis capital territory, was arrested by Indias financial crime-fighting agency on Thursday on corruption charges that his political party rejects, a m
New Delhi [India], March 23 (ANI): Coming down heavily on the BJP-led Central government, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday compared the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to political scenarios in Russia and China. Today, no one is safe in this country. Anyone can get arrested. The pattern going on in India is similar to that in Russia and China. People have elected Arvind Kejriwal as their Chief Minister, so, only they will decide his fate, Raut said. The Shiv Sena (UBT) l
New Delhi [India], March 23 (ANI): A day after a Delhi court sent Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to the custody of the Directorate of Enforcement, senior AAP leader and minister Atishi alleged that the money trail was found in the BJPs account and challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ED to arrest BJP national president JP Nadda. Addressing a press conference here, Atishi asserted that, till date, no money trail has been found connected to any AAP leader. In the so-called excise policy sca
New Delhi [India], March 22 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Delhi Ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi, were detained by the Delhi police during the party protest against the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday. We will state before the Supreme Court that Arvind Kejriwal should be allowed to meet his lawyer and family and also allowed to carry out his official work. Kejriwals family has been put under house arrest, Saurabh Bharadwaj said. The AAP held a protest at the
New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI) Senior AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday claimed that a pharmacy firm paid Rs 25 crore to the BJP through electoral bonds after its director was arrested in the excise policy case. Addressing a press conference here, Bharadwaj also said that there was a threat to the life of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the excise policy-linked money laundering case on Thursday night. It is being rep
New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI) A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court will take up Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals plea against his arrest by the ED (Enforcement Directorate) soon in an excise policy-linked money laundering case. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud. The CJI asked Singhvi to mention his plea before a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna. Singhvi then rushed to Ju
NEW DELHI, March 22, 2024 (AP) The movie trailer begins with an outline of the iconic glasses worn by Mohandas Gandhi, the leader who helped India win independence from the British colonialists in 1947. In the backdrop of a devotional song that Gandhi loved, the outline slowly morphs into what appears like his face. Then, a raucous beat drops, followed by a rap song. A face is finally revealed: not Gandhi, but an actor who plays the independence leaders ideological nemesis, Vinayak Damodar Sava
New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) A helpline for people seeking Indian nationality under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 became operational on Thursday for providing assistance and information. Anyone who needs assistance in applying for citizenship can make free calls to the number 1032 between 8 am and 8 pm from anywhere in India. Helpline Number 1032 for CAA-2019 becomes operational. For assistance and information, applicants can make free calls from anywhere in India. Helpline is available from
NEW DELHI, March 21, 2024 (AP) The Congress party, Indias main opposition political group, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modis government on Thursday of stifling democracy and crippling the party by freezing its bank accounts in a tax dispute ahead of national elections. India has announced that a 6-week-long general election will start April 19, with most polls predicting a victory for Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress party chief, said it
New Delhi [India], March 21 (ANI): The Election Commission on Thursday uploaded the electoral bond data with alphanumeric on its website data submitted by the State Bank of India on the orders of the Supreme Court. The alphanumeric numbers that can help match the purchasers of the bonds with the political parties that encashed them. The data also includes bond numbers that would enable donors to be matched with the political parties they donated to. In compliance with the Supreme Courts directio
New Delhi, Mar 21 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed applications seeking a stay on the appointment of two new election commissioners. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said it will examine the main petitions challenging the validity of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Terms of Office) Act, 2023. We are dismissing the applications for stay on the appointment, the bench said. At the stage, we can
New Delhi, Mar 21 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he has any intention of upholding his guarantee to the people of Ladakh on grant of statehood and self governance. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said since the prime minister has put off his Bhutan photo-ops today, we hope he can devote some time to Ladakh. Modis visit to Bhutan, which was scheduled for Thursday, has been rescheduled due to inclement weather conditions in the Himalay
New Delhi [India], March 21 (ANI): The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has moved a fresh plea in the Delhi High Court seeking no coercive action against him in connection with the Excise policy case. The Division bench led by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait will hear the matter this morning. The Enforcement Directorate has issued 9 summons to him in the Excise case till now. On Wednesday, during the hearing in the related matter before the Delhi High Court, his lawyers stated that they have appre
New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) Jan Adhikar Party leader Pappu Yadav joined the Congress on Wednesday and announced the merger of his outfit. A former five-time MP from Bihar, Yadav is the husband of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan and is known for having influence in Seemanchal area of the eastern state. He was accompanied by his son Sarthak Ranjan and other party leaders as he announced his decision at the AICC headquarters. Yadav said the Congress leadership gave him respect and he was joining
New Delhi [India], March 20 (ANI): After the Delhi High Court sought a response from ED on a plea moved by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal against summons in the excise policy case, Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi on Wednesday said that the investigative agency has to answer in court whether these summons are legal or illegal and the court will decide on it. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is sending summons to CM Arvind Kejriwal over and over again. To challenge these summons and whether they are legal
New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) A book on the life and times of former RBI governor Duvvuri Subbarao will hit the stands on April 30, announced Penguin Random House India (PRHI) on Wednesday. Just A Mercenary?: Notes from My Life and Career is touted to be the remarkable journey of a small-town boy from a modest background to the top echelons of Indias civil services and then on to the helm of the countrys central bank. Subbarao served as governor of RBI for five years (2008-13). Prior to that, he was f
New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the stand of the Enforcement Directorate on a petition by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging the summons issued to him in an excise policy-linked money laundering case. The investigating agency claimed the petition of the AAP national convenor, which also challenges certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, was not maintainable. A bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait granted two weeks time to the ED
New Delhi [India], March 19 (ANI): The Special Court of Delhi, appointed by the Supreme Court for the trial of coal block allocation matters, discharged businessman Manoj Kumar Jayaswal and all other accused in a case of money laundering of more than 300 crore rupees on Tuesday. The special judge, Arun Bhardwaj, passed the order on Tuesday and decided to discharge all the accused in the case. He said that, as in this case there is no material to support the allegation of the offence of money lau
Kolkata, Mar 19 (PTI) The Matua communitys initial jubilation over the implementation of CAA has been dampened as its key organisation advised its members not to apply for citizenship under the new law for now as many of them do not have documents required to prove their previous residential address in Bangladesh. The All India Matua Mahasangha has asked its members to apply for Indian citizenship only after the formation of a new government at the Centre. Matuas, originally from East Pakistan,
Patna, Mar 19 (PTI) JD(U) national general secretary Mohammed Ali Ashraf Fatmi on Tuesday resigned from the party, triggering speculations that the former Union minister might be eyeing a return to the RJD. In a hand-written letter addressed to the JD(U) national president, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Fatmi said he was giving up the party post as well as the primary membership for protecting my moral values. Talking to PTI over phone, he said, I have quit JD(U) and do not wish to say much
Ranchi, March 19 (PTI) In a blow to the JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), Jama MLA Sita Soren tendered her resignation from the party on Tuesday, citing allegations of being sidelined along with her family. In her resignation letter addressed to the partys supremo and her father-in-law, Shibu Soren, Sita expressed her grievances, stating that following the demise of her husband, Durga Soren, the party failed to provide adequate support to her and her family. Sita lamented and said she was feeling ne
Vadodara, Mar 19 (PTI) Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ketan Inamdar on Tuesday tendered his resignation from the state assembly, saying he listened to his inner voice and that nothing is being than self-respect. Inamdar also said his move was not a pressure tactic and that he will work to ensure the victory of BJP candidate Ranjan Bhatt from Vadodara seat in the upcoming parliamentary polls. The three-term MLA from Savli seat in Vadodara district submitted
New Delhi, Mar 18 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought personal appearance of Yoga guru Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna before it in the contempt proceedings relating to advertising of the companys products and their medicinal efficacy. A bench of justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah took strong exception to the failure of the company and Balkrishna in filing replies to the courts notices issued to them earlier to show why contempt proceedings be no
SINGAPORE, March 19 (Reuters) Pakistan remained one of the worlds three smoggiest countries in 2023, as Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran, with particulate matter about 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organization, data published on Tuesday showed. Average concentrations of PM2.5 small airborne particles that damage the lungs reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic metre in Bangladesh in 2023, and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan. The WHO recommends no more than 5 micrograms
New Delhi, Mar 18 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider a plea of the Tamil Nadu government against the refusal of Governor RN Ravi to appoint senior DMK leader K Ponmudi as a minister in the state cabinet. The governor has recently refused to re-induct the senior DMK leader and former Higher Education Minister into the state cabinet, saying it would be against constitutional morality. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took
Hyderabad/Puducherry, Mar 18 (PTI) Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has tendered her resignation, the Raj Bhavan here said on Monday. Tamilisai, who is also the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, has submitted her resignation to Droupadi Murmu, President of India. The Honble Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan has tendered her resignation with immediate effect. The resignation has been submitted to the Honourable President of India, an
New Delhi, Mar 18 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday directed the SBI (State Bank of India) to make a complete disclosure of all details related to electoral bonds, including the unique bond numbers that would disclose the link between the buyer and the recipient political party, by Thursday. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said there is no manner of doubt that the SBI is required to disclose complete details of the bonds. It directed the SBI chairman to fi
Patna, Mar 16 (PTI) The ruling NDA is locked in a straight battle, in Bihar, with the Mahagathbandhan that it had trounced five years ago when at least two constituents of the BJP-led coalition were with the opposition alliance. Besides relative lightweights Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha, the BJP has among its allies Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is past his prime but remains formidable. As of now, the BJP also enjoys the loyalty of squabbling factions of the now-extinct LJP, headed b
Chicago, Mar 16 (The Conversation) By harnessing light, my colleagues and I designed a wireless, ultrathin pacemaker that operates like a solar panel. This design not only eliminates the need for batteries but also minimizes disruptions to the hearts natural function by molding to its contours. Our research, recently published in the journal Nature, offers a new approach to treatments that require electrical stimulation, such as heart pacing. Pacemakers are medical devices implanted in the body
Rudrapur (Uttarakhand), March 16, 2024: People who sleep less than six hours every night may have a 16% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes even when they eat healthily, research suggests. An analysis of data from nearly 250,000 UK adults suggests people sleeping between three and four hours a night may have a 41% higher risk of developing the condition, compared with those who get more than seven hours, while five hours or so of sleep was associated with a 16% higher risk. The researcher
New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) Retired bureaucrat Navneet Kumar Sehgal has been appointed as the new Prasar Bharati chairman, a post that had been vacant for four years. Sehgal succeeds A Surya Prakash, whose term ended in February 2020 after he turned 70, the upper age limit for a person holding the post. the President, on the recommendation of the Selection Committee, is pleased to appoint Shri Navneet Kumar Sehgal, IAS (retd) as the Chairman of the Prasar Bharati Board with effect from the date of h
New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) A Delhi court on Saturday granted bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in two complaints filed by the Enforcement Directorate against him for skipping summons in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. The court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra also allowed Kejriwal to leave the courtroom. Offence being bailable, accused Arvind Kejriwal is admitted to bail, it said. The court further directed the ED to hand over
New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) The State Bank of India is duty bound and has to disclose the unique alpha numeric numbers of the electoral bonds received by political parties, the Supreme Court said on Friday while seeking a response from the bank for not doing so. A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said the apex court in its verdict on electoral bonds case had directed the disclosure of all the details of bonds, including the purchaser, amount and date of purchase. All details
NEW DELHI, 15, 2024 (Reuters) Some of Indias biggest companies, including Vedanta Ltd, Bharti Airtel, RPSG Group and Essel Mining were among the countrys top political funders over the last five years under a now-scrapped opaque political funding system, official data showed on Thursday. The information was made public by the Election Commission of India following an order on Monday from the countrys top court, just days before a national election is due to be called. The political funding mech
New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI): The Assam government has decided to hike the dearness allowance by 4 per cent for its employees and pensioners on the occasion of Rongali Bihu in April, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday. The increase in DA will be effective from January 1, and the arrears of the first three months will be paid in instalments in May, June and July respectively, Sarma said at a press conference here. The DA hike will benefit around four lakh government employees and 3.5
London (AP): Artificial intelligence is supercharging the threat of election disinformation worldwide, making it easy for anyone with a smartphone and a devious imagination to create fake but convincing content aimed at fooling voters. It marks a quantum leap from a few years ago, when creating phony photos, videos or audio clips required teams of people with time, technical skill and money. Now, using free and low-cost generative artificial intelligence services from companies like Google and
New Delhi (Reuters): Behind the doors of a small, non-descript office in the heart of New Delhi lies the headquarters of an electoral trust run by just two men that is the largest-known donor to Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to a Reuters review of public records. The Prudent Electoral Trust has raised $272 million since its creation in 2013, funnelling roughly 75% of that to Prime Minister Narendra Modis party. The trusts donations to the BJP total 10 times as much as the
New Delhi (Reuters): Police in the Indian capital put up barricades, stepped up security and warned of traffic congestion on Thursday as thousands of protesting farmers were due to arrive for a rally in support of their demand for higher crop prices. Thousands of farmers began a Delhi Chalo (Lets go to Delhi) march last month to demand higher guaranteed prices for their crops but were stopped by police armed with tear gas and water cannons about 200 km (125 miles) north of the capital, where the
New Delhi, Mar 13 (PTI) Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress on Wednesday announced five guarantees for women, including annual direct cash transfers of Rs 1 lakh to one woman from each of the countrys poorest families and 50 per cent quota in all new recruitments in central government jobs. In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the party has announced the Nari Nyay guarantee, under which it is going to set a new agenda for the countrys women. Kharge said prior to this
NEW DELHI, March 13 (Reuters) India this week implemented the contentious 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), sparking sporadic protests and a war of words between Prime Minister Narendra Modis government and opposition groups weeks before national elections are held. Here is a look at the law, its implications and the concerns surrounding it. WHAT IS THE CAA? The CAA fast-tracks citizenship for persecuted Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who fled to India before Dec. 31
Bhubaneswar, Mar 12 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday announced casual leave of 25 days in a year for women employees working in different departments of the state government. The women employees would now get an additional 10 days of CL taking their total CL in a year to 25 days, an official said. An official release issued by the Chief Ministers Office said Patnaik took this decision keeping in mind the family responsibilities and various problems of women. The state govern
Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], March 12 (ANI): Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, Kurukshetra MP, OBC leader and Haryana BJP Chief Nayab Singh Saini, will be Haryanas next Chief Minister. Making the announcement after a meeting of the BJP legislators in Chandigarh, Haryana BJP MLA Krishan Lal Middha says, Nayab Singh Saini to be next CM of Haryana. All people are now going to meet the Governor. The BJP and its allies, 6 independent MLAs will now meet the governor. The new Chief Minister is expected
Rudrapur (Uttarakhand), March 12, 2024: Diabetes patients might benefit from adding non-starchy vegetables to their diet to control high blood sugar. Cucumber is a non-starchy vegetable, as its absolutely packed full of soluble fibre, its been claimed. Soluble fibre helps to slow down digestion, which means patients are less likely to have sudden blood sugar spikes. All non-starchy vegetables which includes cucumber contain soluble fibre, and you can never have enough of them. Medical website
Guwahati, Mar 12 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that he will be the first to resign if one person, who has not applied for National Register of Citizens (NRC), gets citizenship. His comment comes after protests erupted across Assam with opposition parties flaying the BJP government at the Centre for implementing the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) on Monday, paving the way for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakist