The New Indian Express News

RAIPUR: Two churches were torched, a grave was dug up and clashes left several people injured as tensions over a disputed burial spiralled into violence in Amabeda village of Chhattisgarhs Kanker district, about 150 km south of Raipur, on Thursday. Tension erupted in Bade Tewda gram panchayat after the family of sarpanch Rajman Salam, whom some locals claim had converted to Christianity, buried the body of his father, Chamraran Salam, 70, on private land. Chamraram had been ill and died during t

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the Modi government of dismantling two decades of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in a single day, calling the newly passed VB-G RAM G legislation anti-village and anti-state. In a post on X, Gandhi said the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill was not a revamp of MGNREGA but a fundamental dilution of its core principles. Last night, the M

SRINAGAR: The Judicial Inquiry Commission probing the September 24 violence in Leh , which was one of the worst violence in the cold desert of Ladakh Union Territory, would start recording the oral statements from Friday. The Judicial Commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Dr B S Chauhan, has been formed to conduct a comprehensive and impartial inquiry into the September 24 violence during a protest for statehood and the 6thschedule in Leh. In the police firing, four persons we

After weeks of debate on key issues, the Winter Session has entered the last day. Despite protest and sloganeering by the Opposition, Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill (VB-GRAMG) 2025 past midnight on Thursday by a voice vote. The opposition MPs are set to carry out protests against the bill today on the floor. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Dola Sen on Friday said the party has been holding a 12-hour protest against the bill. Several key b

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday set aside an order of the Lokpal granting sanction to the CBI to file a chargesheet against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in the alleged cash-for-query scam. A bench of justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, while pronouncing the order in Moitra's plea, said The order is set aside. We have requested the Lokpal to accord consideration for grant of sanction under Section 20 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act in accordance with the rel

A thick blanket of dense fog covered large parts of north India on Friday morning, severely impacting the visibility. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Delhi, warning of major disruptions to road, rail and air traffic. Satellite imagery showed widespread fog over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, northeast Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Visibility dropped to zero metres at several locations, including Agra, Bareilly, Saharanpur and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh; Amrit

The Madhya Pradesh government has suspended three officials, including the in-charge of a government blood bank, after six children tested HIV positive following alleged transfusion of contaminated blood at hospitals in Satna district, PTI reported on Thursday. The action was taken on the basis of a preliminary report submitted by a committee constituted by the state Public Health and Family Welfare Department to investigate the incident. The committee was formed on December 16 after the matter

THANE: More than 1,000 wedding guests escaped without any injury after a fire broke out at a banquet hall in Maharashtra's Thane city, officials said on Friday. The incident occurred around 11 pm on Thursday at the marriage hall premises in the Ovala area along the Ghodbunder Road in the city, they said. According to Yasin Tadvi, chief of the Disaster Management Cell of the Thane Municipal Corporation, Mandap decoration materials kept outside a cabin on the lawn of 'The Blue Roof Club' caught fi

NEW DELHI: Authorities at fuel stations and border check posts have stepped up enforcement a day after the Supreme Court tightened restrictions on vehicles with engines below BS-IV standards, and the Delhi government directed petrol pumps to refuse fuel to cars without a valid pollution under control (PUC) certificate. On Wednesday, the SC had ruled that only vehicles with BS-IV engines and above will be exempt from action amid worsening air pollution. The government announced that from Thursday

NEW DELHI: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday flayed the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties for disrupting the Lok Sabha during the introduction of the Viksit BharatGuarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill. The Lok Sabha was adjourned amid protests, and the minister spoke to the media at the BJP headquarters just hours before the Bill was taken up in the Rajya Sabha. Chouhan said, The conduct displayed by the Congress and INDIA Alliance MP

NEW DELHI: About a month before the Centre introduced the Viksit BharatGuarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VBG RAM G) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), official data shows that more than 16.3 lakh workers were removed from the scheme rolls in the preceding 36 days. This data, pertaining to the period between October 10 and November 14 this year, has raised concerns among rural labourers and experts abo

Nava Raipur, the much-publicised new capital of Chhattisgarh, has been in the spotlight since it was declared the countrys first completely debt-free city. Planned and developed from the ground up by the Naya Raipur Development Authority since 2006, the city showcases broad avenues, neatly laid sectors and impressive infrastructure. However, the everyday experience of the city reveals a different, more grounded reality. People visiting government offices often struggle to find basic amenities. T

PATNA: The Bihar government on Thursday clarified that it would not take coercive action against the 470 differently abled men who received Rs 10,000 each under Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojna ahead of the Bihar assembly elections. Since the launch of the scheme, around 15.1 million women have received Rs 10,000 each. The beneficiaries are required to be members of the Bihar governments Jeevika Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Bihar Jeevika chief executive officer (CEO) Himanshu Pandey said that the go

KOLKATA: TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjees Diamond Harbour Football Club (DHFC) had on November 10 approved use of DHFC logo by sports organiser Satadru Dutta on jerseys with photos of football legend Lionel Messi in a charity match between Mohun Bagan All Star and Diamond Harbour All Star during Messis event at Salt Lake Stadium on December 13. Abhisheks cousin Akash Banerjee, a vice president of DHFC, had written to Satadru, saying, We are pleased to inform you that you may use

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a PIL seeking enforcement of global standards for packaged drinking water, terming it as a fit case of luxury litigation in a country where a large populace lacks access to basic drinking water. Where is the drinking water in this country, madam? People do not have drinking water; the quality of bottled water will come later on, Chief Justice Surya Kant, who was sitting with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, said, adding that these are luxury

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court held on Thursday that an individuals right to dignity and reputation overrides the freedom of press. Justice C Sudha made the observation while upholding a trial courts decision to restrain the circulation of news articles on a bankers arrest in a money laundering case from which he had been discharged. While the media enjoys the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, such right is not absolute and stands correspondingly delim

NEW DELHI: Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill (VB-GRAMG) 2025 past midnight on Thursday amidst protest and sloganeering by the Opposition. It was earlier passed in Lok Sabha on Wednesday and subsequently introduced in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill will replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA). Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan moved the Bill to establish a modern statutory framework ali

MUMBAI: The BJP has finalised a seat-sharing formula of 150:50:27 for the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, Asias largest civic body, scheduled for January 15 next year. Under the formula, the BJP plans to contest 150 seats, while 50 seats have been offered to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena, and 27 seats to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawarled NCP, if it comes on board. The seat-sharing arrangement was discussed at a meeting between BJP Mumbai unit pr

DEHRADUN: A court in Dehradun has sentenced a local temple priest to three years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing a 14-year-old girl on the first Monday of the holy month of Sawan in 2023. The ruling was delivered by the Special Judge (POCSO) court of Archana Sagar, which convicted the priest, Narendra Prasad Dimri, a resident of Dangwal Marg, Chukhukwala. In addition to the jail term, the court imposed a fine of 10,000 on the convict. According to Assistant Public Prosecutor Alpa

BHOPAL: A middle-aged couple identified as Kanhaiya Lal Paranwal and Smriti Paranwal were found dead under c inside their duplex house in Madhya Pradeshs Indore city on Thursday. Their residence is located at a Satellite Junction residential colony, just outside the Indus Satellite Green township under the Lasudia police station area. While Kanhaiya Lal (50) was found dead on the bed in the room, his wife Smriti was found dead inside the toilet adjoining the room. Intolerable stench and the heav

JAIPUR: The Supreme Courts recent ruling, issued on the recommendation of the central government, to limit the definition of the Aravalli mountain range to landforms rising more than 100 metres above their surroundings, has triggered sharp opposition in Rajasthan. Joining the growing protests, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot has warned that the decision could lead to huge ecological damage. Gehlot termed the ruling a red carpet for illegal mining, and a direct invitation to environmental dest

NEW DELHI: Substantial cases of signal failures at an average of 2,961 incidents per annum in the South Western Railway zone reflect poorly on the reliability and availability of signalling systems, according to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The audit examined the performance of the Signal and Telecommunication (S&T) Department of three Divisions, Hubballi, Bengaluru and Mysuru, of South Western Railway (SWR) during the period

RANCHI: Amid the controversy over Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar removing the hijab of a woman candidate during the distribution of appointment letters to the newly appointed doctors, a written complaint has been filed against him at Itki Police Station in Ranchi. The complaint has been filed by a social worker, Md. Murtaza Alam, seeking an investigation and action into the matter. We have received a complaint against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over a video which recently went viral on

NEW DELHI: A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj has urged the strict implementation of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RFCTLARR) in its entirety and true spirit, especially in scheduled areas. Though the Land Acquisition Act is already in force, the demand for its full implementation persists due to its key safeguards, such as mandatory gram sabha consent, thorough Social Impact Assessments, protection against forced or unfai

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has told a parliamentary committee that India is closely monitoring Chinas expanding presence in Bangladesh, particularly in strategic infrastructure, ports and defence-related projects. It added that New Delhis ties with Dhaka remain independent of third-country relationships, according to a report on the future of India-Bangladesh relations tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Responding to queries from the Standing Committee on External Affair

JAIPUR:The Jaipur Bench of the Rajasthan High Court has refused to grant premature release to life convicts sentenced under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) in the 1993 serial train bomb blasts case. Delivering the verdict, a division bench of Justices Sudesh Bansal and Bhuvan Goyal held that granting early release to those convicted of terrorism-related offences would endanger societal safety and national security. The court underlined that such leniency could und

GUWAHATI: A writ petition was filed in the Gauhati High Court by Braja Gopal Sinha and Bijoy Kumar Kanu, claiming that ruling BJP MLA Bijoy Malakar is not an Indian citizen. The court heard the petition on Thursday. Malakar represents the Ratabari seat in the Sribhumi district. According to the synopsis of the petition, the petitioners had, in the last week of October this year, come to know from 'authentic sources' that Malakar is not an Indian citizen. The respondent No 1 (Malakar) and his par

A parliamentary panel on external affairs has highlighted the stay of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina in India, noting that the countrys approach in this regard is guided by its civilisational ethos and humanitarian tradition of providing refuge to individuals facing circumstances of grave distress or existential threat. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, led by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, in its report titled Future of India-Bangladesh Relationship, pr

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday urged authorities to avoid scheduling international matches in north India between mid-December and mid-January, citing persistent fog and poor visibility during the winter months. He suggested that matches during this period should instead be held in southern states, where weather conditions are more conducive to play, so that cricket fans do not feel cheated. Tharoors remarks came a day after the fourth T20 international between India and South

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday described the oppositions conduct during the Lok Sabha debate on the rural employment guarantee bill as disgraceful, accusing them of turning democracy into mobocracy and indulging in hooliganism. Speaking at a press conference at BJP headquarters after the House was adjourned due to the uproar, Chouhan questioned why the opposition was objecting to the bills name the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (V

NEW DELHI: Parliament on Thursday passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill with the Rajya Sabha giving its nod to the legislation by a voice vote. The Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, seeks to open the tightly-controlled civil nuclear sector for private participation. Initiating the discussion in the Upper House, the Minister of State of the Department of Atomic Energy, Jitendra Singh, said that nuclear energy i

RANCHI: In the wake of frequent movement of wild elephants along forest-fringed sections under the Chakaradharpur Railway Division in Jharkhand, multiple trains have been cancelled on the up and down line. According to officials, herds of jumbos have been frequently spotted near and across tracks on the NaugaonRourkela, ChakradharpurRourkela and RourkelaJharsuguda sections, falling within identified elephant corridor zones. To avoid any potential mishap, these trains will remain cancelled on Dec

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has commenced the second phase of SIR from Thursday in West Bengal by sending notices for hearing on the claims and objections to the draft voters list. Sources said the ECI has started sending notices to the unmapped voters -- those voters who have no connection with the voters list for 2002 -- either through self-mapping or through progeny mapping. Self-mapping voters are those who have their names in both the current voters list of October 202

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, the Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting held on December 18, 2025, has recommended the elevation and appointment of five Judges as Chief Justices to five State High Courts across the country. The SC Collegium said Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta (Allahabad High Court) has been recommended to be the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court. Justice Revati P. Mohite Dere (Bombay High Court) has also been recommended to be the Chief Justice of Meghalaya Hig

PATNA: Security for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has been further tightened, and the entire administrative machinery has been put on alert in view of the intelligence inputs after the eruption of the hijab controversy. Intelligence agencies have apprehended that a few anti-social and unlawful elements may attempt to harm CM during official functions. On Thursday, Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar, along with other top police officials, beefed up the CMs security. The state police headquarters later issued instruct

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) issued fresh speed limit guidelines for the high-speed corridors, including the Agra-Lucknow, Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, and Gorakhpur Link Expressways. The move comes in the wake of the ongoing foggy conditions, leading to a rise in accidents on expressways owing to visibility issues. The revised speed limits will come into effect immediately and will remain in force till mid-February or until the fog conditions ease

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday carried out searches at 13 locations across Punjab, Haryana and Delhi as part of its money-laundering probe into an illegal immigration racket linked to the deportation of 330 Indians from the United States earlier this year. The action follows an investigation into a network that allegedly facilitated the illegal transport of Indians to the US through the so-called dunki route. The racket involved illegally transporting Indians to the US throug

DHAKA: India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed two other identical facilities in other parts of Bangladesh as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there. The Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) at southwestern Khulna and northwestern Rajshahi were closed on the grounds of security concerns amid strong protest marches towards the facilities that were stopped by s

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 -- which was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday -- repeals the MGNREGA and paves the way for a structural transformation of the government's role in the rural employment landscape. Passed in 2005 as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), and renamed in 2009 as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), it aimed to enhance livelihood security of households in the rural areas.

Lucknow: Legendary sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, best known as the designer of the Statue of Unity , the worlds tallest statue, passed away at his Noida residence late on Wednesday night. He was 100 and had been suffering from age-related ailments. Sutars son, Anil, confirmed his demise in a note shared with the media, stating that the renowned sculptor passed away peacefully at home around midnight on December 17. A gold medallist from Sir J J School of Art and Architecture, Mumbai, Sutar was born

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India on Thursday clarified that it would first meet the parents in person before passing any order on a plea seeking passive euthanasia for their 32-year-old son, who has been in a vegetative state for the past 12 years following a fall from a building. A two-judge Bench headed by Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice K V Viswanathan said it wanted to interact directly with the parents on January 13 before taking a final decision. The Bench was hearing a miscellaneou

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, stated on Thursday that the government is actively working to protect the Great Indian Bustard birds in Gujarat. While responding to supplementary questions in the Rajya Sabha, Yadav mentioned that the government has initiated a program for the conservation of Great Indian Bustards across several states, including Gujarat. This response followed a query from Congress member Shaktisinh Gohil, who noted that there is a san

BALRAMPUR: A rape attempt was made on a three-year-old girl in the Dehat area here after which police swung into action and arrested the accused after an encounter, an official said on Thursday. The incident occurred on Wednesday when a woman had taken her three-year-old daughter to the fields. While she was busy with her work, her child began playing nearby, Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar said. During this time, Kallu, 25, a resident of the same village, allegedly took the child to his ho

LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court has granted protection to 12 women who are in live-in relationships, observing that such relationships cannot be termed illegal and that living together without marriage does not amount to an offence. Hearing a batch of 12 petitions, a single-judge Bench comprising Justice Vivek Kumar Singh directed the police chiefs of the concerned districts to provide immediate protection to the petitioners if anyone attempted to harass them or disturb their peaceful living.

CHANDIGARH: The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has swept the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections across the state. Of the 2,838 panchayat samitis, the AAP won 1531, Congress 612, Shiromani Akali Dal 445, BJP 83, BSP 28 and independents 144. The ruling party also won 218 zila parishads, while the Congress bagged 62, SAD 46, BJP 7, BSP 3 and independents 10. AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said his party's strong showing in these polls showed that people in rural areas have put their

RANCHI: Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari on Thursday said the state is all set to get its first medical university, with land identified for the proposed institution in Ranchi's Brambe locality. We hope the foundation of the university will be laid by the end of January next year, Ansari said while distributing appointment letters to 66 health officials, including 33 medical officers and 33 specialist doctors. He assured that manpower in the health sector would be increased and more recrui

NEW DELHI: India has reaffirmed its commitment to continue humanitarian assistance and healthcare cooperation with Afghanistan, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda. Nadda and the visiting Afghan Minister of Public Health, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali met on Wednesday night. In the meeting, Nadda reaffirmed New Delhis commitment to Afghanistan and discussed ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation in the healthcare sector. The two sides reviewed the ongoing health cooperation, and discussed way

GUWAHATI: Invoking the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, the District Commissioner of Nagaon has issued separate orders directing 15 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to leave the territory of Assam and India within 24 hours. The action follows earlier rulings by foreign tribunals, which had declared the individuals as foreigners. Foreigners tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies mandated to decide cases involving suspected illegal immigrants. The expulsion orders were issued to Jahura Khat

NEW DELHI: A month after the apprehension of Fishing Boats belonging to Bangladesh, for illegal fishing, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Ship, while undertaking routine surveillance operations in the Northern Bay of Bengal, apprehended two Bangladeshi Fishing Boats (BFBs) along with 35 crew members for engaging in illegal fishing activities inside India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The ICG in a statement, said on Thursday that the arrests were made on 16 December for violation of the Maritime Z

CHANDIGARH: A 34-year-old Uzbek woman Asligun Sparova was allegedly shot in the chest by an acquaintance in Ludhiana after she refused to accompany him and his friend on a drive. She is currently undergoing treatment at Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH). Police have arrested the duo on charges of attempt to murder. They have been sent to judicial custody. Sources said that the accused Balwinder Singh, of Harinder Nagar in Faridkot, and his accomplice Harjinder Singh, of Mohalla Raghu