The New Indian Express News

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh's Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Rajendra Shukla, is once again targeted by the Opposition party, following a fire at the Gynaecology Operation Theatre (OT) in a government hospital in Rewa district. The state Congress chief has also demanded Shuklas resignation while sharing a video of rats at a hospital, which he claimed was at the Jabalpur district hospital. On Sunday afternoon, while a caesarean surgery was underway at the Gynaecology OT o

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday sacked 103 firemen in the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The action was taken after an Anti-Corruption Bureau investigation established that their recruitment was illegal and fraudulently manipulated. The Lt Governor's administration had constituted an Inquiry Committee on December 12, 2022, to examine allegations of irregularities in the recruitment process of Firemen/Fireman drivers conducted in 2020 by the Fire & Emergency

RANCHI: In a heart-wrenching incident in Jharkhands Gumla, a pregnant tribal woman, Sukri Kumari and her child in the womb, lost their lives due to a lack of road service on Sunday. Since the ambulance could not reach the village, she was carried by her family members for over a kilometre from her home in Jhalakapat to Karasilli village on a carrying yoke through the hilly terrain. After reaching Karasilli, the woman got a Mamta Vahan in which she was taken to the Ghaghra Community Health Centre

Even as the Congress sharpened its attack on the Centre over the proposed repeal and renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), senior party leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday described the controversy surrounding the move as unfortunate, triggering unease within his own party. In a post on X, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said the debate had been framed in a misleading manner, arguing that the ideas being invoked by the government were not antithetical to Mahatma

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government's bid to make the Chief Minister the chancellor of state universities suffered a setback om Monday when President Droupadi Murmu rejected the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022. With the Presidents disapproval of the Bill, there will be no change in the post of chancellors in government-aided and sponsored universities in the state. As per the existing system, the Bengal Governor holds the chancellor portfolio in government universities across

CHANDIGARH: In a major inter-state operation carried out in coordination with central agencies, Punjab Police have arrested two gangster-turned-terrorists linked to the banned outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) from Mumbai, officials said on Monday. The arrested men have been identified as Sajan Masih, a resident of Veroke village in Gurdaspur district, and Sukhdev Kumar alias Munish Bedi, a resident of Lahori Gate in Amritsar. Both were allegedly operating from overseas locations before t

JAMMU: An encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in a village in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday evening, officials said. The gunfight started at the village of Soan in Majalta area of the hilly district when security forces launched a search operation following information about presence of terrorists believed to be affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit, the officials said. Inspector General of Police, Jammu, Bhim Sen Tuti said the contact was establ

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack case on Monday filed a chargesheet naming seven accused, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), The Resistance Front (TRF) and a Pakistani handler. The chargesheet detailed Pakistan's conspiracy, roles of the accused, and supporting evidence in the case. It also charged the banned LeT/TRF as a legal entity for its role in planning, facilitating, and executing the Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of 26 peopl

KOLKATA: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to publish the draft electoral rolls for West Bengal on Tuesday, following the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters lists that began on November 4. Voters will be able to verify their names in the draft rolls either online or offline, according to the Commission. Sources in the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (WBCEO) office said the draft rolls were prepared through a four-step process distribution, submission,

CHENNAI: Indias unemployment rate fell to 4.7 percent in November, marking its lowest level since April, according to official government data, signalling a steady improvement in labour market conditions as the economy moves deeper into the second half of the financial year. The decline from 5.2 percent recorded in October reflects a combination of stronger employment generation and rising workforce participation, suggesting that job creation has been sufficient to absorb new entrants into the l

AHMEADBAD: The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has caught two serving CID Crime officers red-handed for demanding and accepting a Rs 30 lakh bribe to derail a sensitive investigation linked to a call centre case, raising serious questions about the misuse of authority within the States crime investigation machinery. According to officials, the ACB arrested CID Crime Police Inspector P.K. Patel of the Gandhinagar Zone and Armed Police Constable Vipul Desai after laying a trap following a com

NEW DELHI: Retired IAS officer Raj Kumar Goyal was sworn in as the Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission on Monday. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Raj Kumar Goyal at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Vice President CP Radhakrishnan was also present at the occasion. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Shri Raj Kumar Goyal, Chief Information Commissioner, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the X handle of the President of India said. Goyal

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking mandatory videography of the counting of votes for the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, scheduled to be held on Wednesday, following polling on December 14. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by Warring on Monday through advocate Nikhil Ghai. It states that he absence of mandatory videography during counting renders the process opaque and vulnerable

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday extended the NIA custody of Soyab , a Faridabad resident accused of harbouring Red Fort bomber Umar-un-Nabi, and Dr Naseer Bilal Malla , a resident of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, for four more days. The probe agency produced Soyab at the Patiala House Court amid tight security on Friday upon the expiry of his previous 10-day custody granted on December 5. Naseer was produced upon the expiry of his seven-day National Investigation Agency (NIA) custod

LUCKNOW: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided to seek the return of key evidence and documents related to the Ram JanmabhoomiBabri Masjid title suit from the Supreme Court of India, with plans to preserve them in a museum being developed within the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple complex in Ayodhya. The materials include evidence and documents that formed the basis of the Supreme Courts landmark verdict delivered on November 9, 2019, which settled the long-standing dispute. According

LUCKNOW: Former BJP MP and senior saint Dr Ram Vilas Das Vedanti (67), a prominent figure of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, passed away while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Madhya Pradeshs Rewa district early on Monday. Dr Vedanti had been admitted to Rewas Super Speciality Hospital for the past two days. On Sunday, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla had planned to airlift him to AIIMS, Bhopal, for advanced treatment, but the air ambulance could not be deployed due to adverse weather co

GUWAHATI: India on Monday opened the historic Cho La and Dok La passes in Sikkim, formally introducing battlefield tourism along the China border under the Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan initiative. Doklam came into focus in 2017 following a border standoff between Indian and Chinese troops, while Cho La is among the sites where Indian and Chinese forces clashed in 1967. The Northeast has several such battlefields, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang flagged off

The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday announced the much-awaited polls to the state's 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai. Elections will be held on January 15, and votes will be counted on January 16, said State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare. The prominent civic bodies going to polls include Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. As many as 2,869 seats in these municipal corporations will be up for grabs, said the SEC.

NEW DELHI: The National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd. (NFCSF), the apex body of sugar cooperatives, has urged the Central Government to immediately revise the Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar. This demand comes in light of rising production costs, declining ex-mill sugar prices, and the increasing financial stress on sugar mills, which could soon lead to a crisis for sugarcane farmers. Meanwhile, the NFCSF applauded the government's decision to permit the export of 15 lakh m

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday questioned Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor in connection with an alleged money laundering case involving Reliance Anil Ambani Group (ADAG) companies, with the agency claiming that a quid pro quo arrangement caused substantial losses to the private lender. The Enforcement Directorate questioned Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor as part of a money laundering investigation into Reliance Anil Ambani Group (ADAG) companies on Monday, the agency said

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday mulled formulating pan-India guidelines to prevent road accidents, such as a recent one in Rajasthan's Phalodi that claimed 15 lives, on expressways and national highways. A bench of Justices J K Maheswari and Vijay Bishnoi flagged the construction of illegal dhabas on both sides of national highways and expressways as a possible cause of road accidents and asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared in the matter for the National Highways Authority

PANAJI: The Goa bench of Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane at Arpora, where a devastating fire on December 6 killed 25 persons, into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) observing someone has to be held accountable in such kind of cases. The HC also asked the state government to file a reply on permissions granted to the ill-fated nightclub. The petition was filed by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, owners of the land on which the nightclub stood

TEZPUR: Students and other stakeholders of Tezpur University on Monday staged a nine-hour hunger strike, demanding a response from the Ministry of Education (MoE) on issues raised by them, including the immediate removal of Vice-Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh over alleged financial irregularities. The university has remained under a shutdown enforced by the agitators since the end of November, with limited relaxation being allowed for the conduct of term-end examinations since last week. The Tezp

RAIPUR: Senior BJP legislator Ajay Chandrakar questioned his own governments vision document Chhattisgarh Anjor 2047, scrutinising its basis, during the discussion in the Assembly on the states comprehensive roadmap that aims to achieve various ambitious goals on development. Chandrakar, who was a minister twice during the BJP government led by Raman Singh, said the focus remains largely on education and health sector but lacks reflection of the Chhattisgarh state in the industrial policy. No at

KOLKATA: Three separate public interest litigations (PILs) were filed in the Calcutta High Court on Monday challenging the West Bengal governments decision to constitute an inquiry committee headed by retired High Court judge Justice Asim Kumar Roy to probe the vandalism at Salt Lake Stadium following the chaos during football legend Lionel Messis showcasing event on Saturday. The petitioners have urged the court to hand over the investigation to central agencies such as the Central Bureau of In

JAIPUR: The seizure of MLA Local Area Development fund accounts belonging to three legislators marked the first major action by the Rajasthan government on Monday after allegations surfaced of hefty commissions being demanded in exchange for sanctioning works under the scheme. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma ordered a time-bound inquiry and directed an IAS-led committee, headed by ACS (Home) Bhaskar A. Sawant, to submit its report within 15 days, while the Assemblys Ethics Committee will conduc

Amid the Congress's relentless campaign against alleged vote theft and electoral irregularities, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (JKNC) leader Omar Abdullah on Monday distanced himself from the issue and said the INDIA bloc has got nothing to do with it. The INDIA bloc has got nothing to do with it. Every political party is at liberty to set its own agenda. The Congress has made 'vote chori' and SIR as its main issues. Who are we to tell them otherwise? the CM said, repo

KOLKATA: The West Bengal Police on Monday sent summons to officials of six organisations, which were in charge of managing various aspects of the Lionel Messi event at the Salt Lake stadium , where spectators resorted to large-scale chaos and vandalism two days ago, alleging gross mismanagement, an officer said. Acting on an FIR on the spectator rampage that led to an estimated loss of over Rs 2 crore of stadium properties, police have also arrested five people so far on charges of vandalism and

JALANDHAR: A bomb threat sent into panic several schools here on Monday, with authorities evacuating students and launching anti-sabotage actions. Nothing suspicious has been found so far, an officer said. We were told that there had been some fault in the electricity and we were asked to pick up our children from the school, a parent told reporters. ACP (North) Sanjay Kumar, who was at KMV School, said, A threat was received on the school principal's email that the building would be blown up. H

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre and others on a plea seeking the constitution of a national expert committee to formulate comprehensive guidelines for the care, rehabilitation and protection of persons with autism and other intellectual disabilities. A two-judge Bench of the apex court, headed by Justice B. V. Nagarathna and comprising Justice R. Mahadevan, sought responses from the Union of India, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday embarked on a three-nation tour of Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman, a visitaimed at deepening Indias engagement with countries that share long standingcivilisationallinks and strong contemporary bilateral relations with New Delhi. In his departure statement, Modi said the visit would focus on strengthening political, economic and people-to-people ties across West Asia and Africa. Today, I am embarking on a three-nation visit to the Hashemite Kingdom of

NEW DELHI: The Union government is set to introduce four key Bills in the Lok Sabha on Monday, including legislation on higher education reforms, rural employment, nuclear energy, and the repeal of outdated laws. Although the Bills were not part of Mondays agenda, they were added later through a supplementary list of business issued in the afternoon. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will introduce the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to replace the University Grants

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday in its order refused to entertain a plea in connection with the mass cancellation and delaying of IndiGo airline flights, asking the petitioner to approach the Delhi High Court instead for relief. We appreciate the issue but instead of parallel proceedings, you go to High Court, said the three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, and also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi. While noting

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday protected actors Shreyas Talpade and Alok Nath from arrest till investigation concludes in a case of cheating and breach of trust against a society. During the hearing before a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan, Talpade's counsel said the actor was called as a guest celebrity in the annual event of the company. I am not supposed to know.I never earned any money, the lawyer said. Nath's lawyer submitted that the actor has not attended any func

PUNE: A 16-year-old boy was killed after a classmate allegedly attacked him with a knife inside a classroom at a coaching centre in Pune district on Monday, police said. The attack was apparently the fallout of a previous dispute between the two boys, who were studying in Class 10, they said. The incident took place at a private coaching centre in Rajgurunagar, according to the police. A boy, who was carrying a knife, suddenly attacked a classmate inside a classroom at the coaching centre on Mon

NEW DELHI: Argentine football great Lionel Messi's arrival for the final leg of his G.O.A.T Tour here has been delayed after his flight was deferred due to inclement weather . Messi, who was in Mumbai for the second day of his three-day whirlwind trip to India, was to land in the national capital earlier this morning but his charter flight was held up due to foggy conditions here. Messi is currently at the Mumbai airport and is expected to leave shortly for the final set of engagements, which in

GUWAHATI: Prafulla Govinda Baruah, a doyen of journalism in Assam, passed away on Sunday night due to age-related ailments. He was 93. Baruah is survived by his wife and two daughters. Born in Dibrugarh in upper Assam, Baruah was a Padma Shri awardee and served as the editor of The Assam Tribune , founded by his father, the late Radha Govinda Baruah. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were among the leaders who mourned his demise. Saddened by the passing aw

The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025 (SHANTI) seeks to promote and regulate the safe, secure, and responsible use of nuclear energy and nuclear technologies in India, with the overarching objective of leveraging nuclear science for public welfare and national development. Scheduled to be introduced in the Winter Session of Parliament, the Bill, according to the Times of India , is being viewed as a major policy shift in Indias atomic ener

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday conveyed to his Australian counterpart Penny Wong India's fullest support to Australia in the wake of a deadly shooting incident at the iconic Bondi Beach targeting a Jewish celebration that left 15 people dead. In a phone conversation with Wong, Jaishankar also condoled the death of innocent people in the attack. Just spoke to Australian Foreign Minister @SenatorWong. Conveyed our deepest condolences about the Bondi Beach terrorist att

DEHRADUN: In a significant move to boost wellness tourism, Uttarakhand is preparing to establish its first dedicated Naturopathy Hospitals, designed on the lines of luxury resorts where patients will be treated using natural therapies without conventional medication. The state's AYUSH Department has already identified land for these facilities in the districts of Champawat and Pithoragarh, while the search is ongoing in Bageshwar. According to sources within the government, the initiative is par

SRINAGAR: Food safety concerns are mounting in Jammu and Kashmir, with seizures of contaminated items ranging from biscuits and bottled water to eggs, meat and synthetic cheese, prompting heightened vigilance by authorities. The Food Safety Department (FSD) on Saturday banned the sale, storage and distribution of the packaged drinking water brand Ajwa after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of dangerous bacteria, including E. coli and coliform, in a sample collected from Srinagar. The samp

NEW DELHI: An unexpected spell of warmer winter days is expected in North India leading up to Christmas, primarily due to weaker western disturbances (WD) and the presence of an anticyclonic system over western India. However, night will be colder than normal. Moreover, Delhi recorded its coldest average minimum temperature for the first half of December in the past 14 years. Weather experts predict that maximum daytime temperatures in many areas of Northwest, Western, and Central India will ris

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday sought an apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for their party workers' alleged threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life. At a hurriedly called press conference here, Rijiju alleged that at Sunday's Congress rally in the national capital, some party workers had threatened to dig the grave of the Prime Minister, which was the most unfortunate and tragic thing to happen in the Ind

NEW DELHI: The Centre is expected to introduce the Viksit BharatGuarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VBG Ram G Bill) in the Lok Sabha this week. The proposed legislation seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The Bill proposes to increase guaranteed wage employment for rural households from 100 days to 125 days in a financial year. A major shift under the new framework is a revised fund-sharing pattern, under which states

After weeks of debate on key issues, the Winter Sessionis entering the final week. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is said to move the Appropriation Bill, seeking approval to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet government spending for the 202526 financial year. The Winter Session was marked by intense debate over electoral roll reforms, while chants of Vande Mataram set the tone for the proceedings. 'Congress, Sonia Gandhi should apologise': Nadda Leader of the House J

After weeks of debate on key issues, the Winter Sessionis entering the final week. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is said to move the Appropriation Bill, seeking approval to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet government spending for the 202526 financial year. The Winter Session was marked by intense debate over electoral roll reforms, while chants of Vande Mataram set the tone for the proceedings. Congress MPs seekdiscussion on air pollution Congress MP Manickam Tago

The Congress on Monday said India must not sacrifice public health for economic growth, asserting that increased pollution cannot be the price people are forced to pay for faster development. The party said the Graded Response Action Plans (GRAP) should not remain the mainstay of Indias clean-air strategy. In a statement, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said GRAPs are largely reactive and focus on crisis management rather than long-term prevention. We need to

KOLKATA: T he Election Commission said it has appointed five nodal officers for first-level checking (FLC) of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) ahead of next year's West Bengal assembly polls. All the officers hailed from other states, the poll panel said in a statement. The EC has introduced rules by which the image of each candidate would be displayed on the EVM. The five nodal officers were appointed as observers at different FLC venues for assembly polls, said the statement issued on Sun

NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has advised members of the Bar and parties-in-person to avail the hybrid mode of appearance through video-conferencing in matters listed before the Supreme Court in view of the prevailing weather conditions. A circular issued on Sunday by the apex court administration said, In view of the prevailing weather conditions, the Chief Justice of India has advised, if convenient, the members of the Bar/parties-in-person to avail hybrid mode of appearance thr

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will file a chargesheet on Monday in connection with the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people, most of them tourists, officials said. The chargesheet will be presented before a special NIA court in Jammu. Investigations have established the direct involvement of three Pakistan-based terrorists in the attack. In June, the NIA arrested two local men for harbouring the terrorists. The accused, Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar of Batkote and