MOVIESS MAZA / Online Movies Masti

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday attended the ceremonial distribution of financial incentives to around 370 tea gardens under the Assam Tea Industry Special Incentive Schemes 2020 at a function held at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati. An aggregate of ₹64.05 crore were disbursed to the 370 tea gardens under the Assam Tea Industry Special Incentive Schemes 2020, originally formulated by the Government of Assam to mitigate the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the tea industry. Speaking at the event, Mr Sarma said the tea industry was the backbone of the economy of Assam, contributing to nearly 90% of gross export value and on which and providing either direct or indirect employment avenues to more than a million people. It is due to the overwhelming effect of the tea industry on the economy of Assam that the Government of Assam came up with the Assam Tea Industry Special Incentive Schemes to help the sector absorb some of the shocks of the deleterious impact of

 Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday dismissed the claims of getting retired from politics. The senior BJP leader made the statement while referring to a media report. "I have no intention of retiring from politics," the senior BJP leader said while speaking to media in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri. "The media must uphold responsible journalism in their reporting on this matter," he added. Earlier on Thursday, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also conducted an aerial inspection of the construction work of the Mumbai-Goa highway. Industries Minister of Maharashtra Uday Samant was also present on occasion, said a press release on Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Union Minister Gadkari said that the much-awaited construction work of Mumbai-Goa National Highway No 66 would be completed by December 2023 and the road will be open for traffic in January 2024. He further said that the Mumbai-Goa highway has been divided into 10 packages. Out of these, two pac

The Manipur government has decided to decides to keep Myanmar refugees in detention centres, according to official sources. Around 5,000 immigrants, including women and children, have fled from conflict-hit Myanmar since the military took power in February 2021. Sources added that the Manipur government has recently constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee, headed by Tribal Affairs and Hill Development Minister Letpao Haokip, to look for a possible solution for a the matter. Thousands of Myanmar nationals had crossed over to the state due to the armed conflict taking place in their country, near Indian border. A ministerial committee led by Haokip visited Moreh town along the Myanmar border and Gamphazol village of Chandel district during the past few days and interacted with villagers. Manipur shares 400 km of unfenced border with Myanmar. The Manipur government, various NGOs and churches have been providing food and shelter to the Myanmarese, including women and children. from ND

Police on Thursday arrested the Station House Officer (SHO) of City Police Station in Nuh for allegedly raping a 45-year-old woman several times over the last one month. The woman alleged that SHO Bijender Rathee raped her several times in his home and even at the police station. The matter was booked at Women Police Station, Nuh. SHO Rathee has been suspended pending a departmental inquiry, police said. According to the victim's complaint, she had gone to the City Police Station about a month and a half ago to report a matter of fraud. She said SHO Rathee, who took the complaint, started calling her on her mobile afterwards and called her to the station several times on the pretext of recording her statement. He also visited her house many times on similar excuses, she said, according to police. "The SHO started molesting me on different pretexts first, and later raped me several times not only at his residence in police lines but also in police station. When I resisted

There is nothing wrong in caring for an endangered species but one should inform the authorities about it, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Thursday, responding to a question on Uttar Pradesh forest department filing a case against a man for allegedly "illegally" keeping and nursing an injured Sarus crane. Arif Khan Gurjar, 35, a resident of Mandkha village of Amethi district, rescued the Sarus crane and took care of it for a year, according to officials. The crane lived with Arif and accompanied him to his fields. However, forest department officials took it away on March 21. While the man has been booked under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the Sarus crane has been placed in a zoo, after it struggled to survive in the wild. "Even if we are caring for an endangered species, we need to inform authorities. There is nothing wrong in caring for endangered species. It's our responsibility," the minister said at 'News

Two army jawans died in an accident during a training exercise in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, an official of the Eastern Command said on Thursday. The accident took place on Wednesday during an 'assault river crossing' exercise, during which a rope snapped and three jawans fell into the water at Sarobar Lake, a notified training area in Barrackpore, he said. They were taken to the hospital where two of them were declared dead, while one could be saved. The jawans were Naik Lengkholal from Nagaland and Sepoy Aldrin Hmingthanzuala from Mizoram, he said. "Lt Gen RP Kalita #ArmyCdrEC & All Ranks offer tribute to the supreme sacrifice of Nk Lengkholal & Sep Aldrin Hmingthanzuala, in the line of duty at #Barrackpore while carrying out Assault River crossing exercise. #IndianArmy stands firm with the bereaved families," the Eastern Command tweeted. A court of inquiry has been instituted into the accident, he said. (Except for the headline, thi

Soon after the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the Karnataka Assembly elections, Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Wednesday alleged that the ruling BJP has made the election system corrupt and hoped that the Election Commission would conduct free and fair elections. "BJP has made the election system corrupt. They have started "Operation Lotus". They spend lots of money. The Election Commission should conduct the election in a free and fair manner. We hope they will do it," Siddaramaiah said. However, welcoming the Election Commission's decision to hold a single-phase Assembly election in Karnataka on May 10, the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly said that his party was prepared for the polls. "We had expected that the elections would be declared yesterday or today. I welcome that this election is happening in a single phase," he added. Earlier in the day, the Election Commission of India an

Youth Congress national president BV Srinivas on Wednesday sent a legal notice to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell chief Amit Malviya over the controversial tweet. Advocate Mareesh Sahay in his legal notice, said that it is a well-known fact that the comments made by Amit Malviya on social media for abusing and tarnishing the image of BV Srinivas publicly based on wrong facts and with malicious intent. "That the said statements made by you not only are of bad taste, and ill-willed but violate the provisions of Section 66E, 66A, 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and Section 499, 34, 44, 120, 500 of IPC, 1860," he added. The notice was sent after Mr Malviya tweeted a video of Mr Srinivas, accusing the Karnataka-based leader of using sexist remarks against Union Minister Smriti Irani. "This uncouth, sexist man is President of the Indian Youth Congress. Darling bana kar bedroom mein... This is the level of discourse, when referring to a woman minister, just

The Gurugram police have arrested a plot owner and his servant on the charge of murder after one of the two people they suspected to be thieves died after being thrashed and locked in a room. The incident took place on Tuesday night and one of the suspects was found dead on Wednesday morning, police said. According to the police the arrested accused were identified as Ankit, resident of village Ghata and his servant, a native of Sagar in Madhya Pradesh. Ankit told police that goods were frequently being stolen from his plot for the past several days due to which he and his servant started guarding in the night. It was late Tuesday night when two people whom they suspected to be thieves reached the plot. They caught them and locked them in a room after thrashing them. One of them was found dead on Wednesday morning. A police team reached the plot in Ghata village where they found a man dead and another injured. According to police, the deceased was identified as Rafigul (40), who

AAP MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam on Wednesday demanded that society boycott religious scriptures which advocate women harassment, prompting angry reaction from the Delhi BJP which said his comments exposed "anti-Hindu face of the AAP government". During a discussion on women security in the Delhi Assembly in view of Tuesday's incident at Indraprastha College for Women where several men scaled the college walls and harassed students, Mr Gautam said, "The issue of women harassment is connected to religious scriptures which contain bad words about women and their character." "A religious scripture which is worshipped by some people in India and which remained at the centre of discussions recently puts women, animal and shudras in the same league and demands that they be beaten up," Mr Gautam said. "Everyone should unite and boycott all such scriptures which advocate women harassment and discriminate among people," he said. Hitting back, Delhi BJP

Bodies of a 30-year-old woman and her three children were found on railway tracks in Jharkhand's Palamu district on Wednesday, a police officer said. It appears that they were "accidentally" run over by a train near Nimia, around two kilometres from Daltongunj railway station, Superintendent of Police Chandan Kumar Sinha said. The dead woman was identified as Manita Devi (30), a resident of Kharagpur village under Harihargunj police station of the district. Of her children, who were aged between four and eight years, two were girls. The bodies were lying scattered beside and in between the tracks. "Prima facie, it seemed to be an accident. But how they reached Medininagar which is 70 kms from Harihargunj is yet to be ascertained," Chandan Kumar Sinha said. The police informed the family about what had happened to the four. The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination at Medinirai Medical College and Hospital here. The Railway Police and the district p

The war of words between Congress and BJP over Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha and on JPC demand over Adani issue continued on Thursday with the two Houses also facing adjournments. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day following opposition protests. The two Houses were earlier adjourned till 2 pm. Some opposition members continued their "black" protest which they started on Monday. Outside the Parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday launched a fresh attack on Rahul Gandhi stating that the Congress leader was "pretending not to be a coward" after apologising to the Supreme Court of India for his previous remarks. Addressing a press conference, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said that Rahul Gandhi has been convicted by the court for "abusing" the OBC community. "He (Rahul Gandhi) abused and accused PM Modi in Parliament but could not verify his own statement by authenticating it w

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said that the speech of Sharjeel Imam at Jamia on December 13 in 2019 was "provocative" and shows that he was also a part of the mob which was instigating and provoking. The High Court said on Tuesday in judgement against the order of the trial court order discharging him and ten others. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said that his speech at Jamia University which was provocative shows that he was also part of the mob which was instigating and provoking which he also admitted on January 16 in 2020 in his speech at Aligarh Muslim University. The bench noted that during the investigation, the second supplementary chargesheet clearly mentions that the accused Sharjeel Imam had on December 13 in 2019 given a provocative speech at Jamia University. The court said that his speech indicates that Sharjeel Imam had stated that they were distributing the pamphlets regarding the protest, and he himself talked about 'destruction' and also said th

 The Delhi High Court on Tuesday held that the December 2019 protests organised at Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia was an unlawful assembly and the mob gathered at the spot with the intention to violate the law. "The common object of the assembly was to march to the Parliament for registration of their protest against the Government policies of NRC and CAB where a curfew was imposed by the authorities," the Delhi High Court on Tuesday said, adding that making efforts to reach that area and carry out protest there was an "unlawful" object itself. The Delhi High Court held the view while setting aside the order of the trial court discharging Sharjeel Imam and 10 others. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said that as per the prosecution, section 144 Cr.P.C. was already imposed in the area near Parliament. "Therefore, making efforts to reach to a curfew imposed area and carry out protest therein was an unlawful object itself," justice Sharma held in the judgem

A one-and-a-half-year-old child was burnt alive in a fire that broke out in a house in Ghata village on Tuesday afternoon, police said. The incident happened in Harijan Colony at around 2 pm, they said, the child was identified as Manoj. A fire broke out at the rented accommodation of Satish Kumar, a native of Rajasthan's Bharatpur. Mr Kumar's wife locked the house from outside and went to pick up her other son from school, leaving Manoj alone inside, they said. According to police, a lamp lit in a temple inside the house suddenly fell on the bed where Manoj was playing and it caught fire. After getting information, fire and police teams reached the spot and the child was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, where he was declared dead, they said. SHO (Sector 56) Sanjeev Kumar said the body has been sent for post-mortem and further probe is underway, (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

An independent review into the culture at one of the UK's major National Health Service (NHS) hospital trusts on Tuesday recommended greater support for doctors in training who are concerned about their mental health, in the wake of the suicide of an Indian-origin doctor. Dr Vaishnavi Kumar, who worked at Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital, died aged 35 in June 2022. Her inquest last year heard how she felt “belittled” at work and would come home and cry. The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust (UHB), which runs the hospital among several others in the region, was under an independent review following the death and amid wider performance-related concerns. “In light of the tragic death by suicide of Dr Kumar – together with HEE [Health Education England], a review of the processes to support doctors in training who are concerned about their mental health, ability to speak up freely about concerns with colleagues and a clear message that they will be listened to,” reads on

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the State Bank of India's appeal, upholding the Telangana High Court's order and ruled that it is reasonably practicable for the lender banks to provide an opportunity for a hearing to the borrowers before classifying their accounts as fraud. A bench of Chief Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and justice Hima Kohli uphold the judgment of the Division Bench of the High Court of Telangana dated December 10, 2020. The court set aside the judgments of the High Court of Telangana dated December 22, 2021 and December 31, 2021, and of the High Court of Gujarat dated December 23, 2021. The top court said that the principles of natural justice demand that the borrowers must be served notice, given an opportunity to explain the conclusions of the forensic audit report, and be allowed to represent by the banks before their account is classified as fraud. In addition, the decision classifying the borrower's account as fraudulent must be made by re

The H-1B visa cap for the financial year 2024, beginning October 1, has been reached and all successful applicants have been informed about it, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services has said. In a statement on Monday, the federal agency said it has received enough electronic registrations during the initial period to reach the fiscal year 2024 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption -- the master's cap. "We have randomly selected from the registrations properly submitted to reach the cap and have notified all prospective petitioners with selected registrations that they are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the beneficiary named in the applicable selected registration," it said. H-1B cap-subject petitions for the financial year 2024, including those petitions eligible for the advanced degree exemption, may be filed with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from April 1, 2023, if based on a vali

A two and half month old baby girl from the Dehra subdivision of the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh tested positive for H3N2, the official said. The baby girl is undergoing treatment at Tanda Medical College. "First case of H3N2 virus found in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. 10-week-old baby girl tested positive while she was brought to Tanda Medical College on Saturday for treatment of severe cough, cold and fever," CMO Kangra Dr Sushil Sharma. Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory tract infection caused by 4 distinct Types- Influenza A, B, C and D belonging to the Orthomyxoviridae family. Among these types, Influenza A is the most common pathogen for humans. Globally, influenza cases are typically seen to increase during certain months of the year. India usually witnesses two peaks of seasonal influenza: one from January to March and another one in the post-monsoon season. According to the Union Health Ministry, the cases arising from seasonal influenza

A case has been registered against a local BJP leader for allegedly selling a piece of land to police for the construction of the Police Lines for Rs 2 crore with the help of forged documents, while he had already taken a loan of Rs 78 lakh against it. Superintendent of Police Elamaran G on Monday said BJP leader Omprakash alias Prakash Mishra had committed forgery and a case has been registered against him. The SP also said the accused had taken a loan from the Bank of India by mortgaging his land. However, through forged documents, he sold the land for the construction of Police Lines, he said. The said land is located in Chauhanpur village under Sadar tehsil (in Gauriganj). On July 27, 2017, Mr Mishra had executed a sale deed of 0.253 square metre land. Before selling the land, he had taken a loan of Rs 78 lakh from the bank by mortgaging the land. After executing the sale deed, the BJP leader received a payment of Rs 1.97 crore from the Amethi police. During the registry, Prak

The United States is watching Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's case in Indian courts, US Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Monday (local time), adding that the US engages with the Indian government on a shared commitment to democratic values, including freedom of expression. "Respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy, and we're watching Mr Gandhi's (Rahul Gandhi) case in Indian courts," he said in a press briefing while responding to a question regarding Rahul Gandhi's expulsion from the Indian Parliament. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified on Friday as a Member of Lok Sabha (MP) from the date of his conviction in the criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark. Rahul Gandhi was an MP from the seat of Wayanad in Kerala. "The US engages with the government of India on our shared commitment to democratic values, including of course freedom of e

A man and his son drowned in Narmada river in Khargone in Madhya Pradesh while trying to save the former's wife and their pet dog, a police official said on Monday. The dog entered the river at Sahastradhara and its owner Sapna Singh jumped in to rescue the animal, he said. "Soon Sapna's husband Aman Singh Kanwar and their son Rudraksh also went into the water body as part of the rescue attempt. However, Sapna and the dog managed to swim to safety, while Kanwar and Rudraksh drowned. The incident took place on Sunday," he said. "The bodies have been fished out, Further probe into the incident is underway," Maheshwar police station in charge Pankaj Tiwari said. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/RCN5p1Q

Punjab Police on Sunday arrested Balwant Singh, from Khanna city in Ludhiana district of Punjab, the man who had harboured Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh's close aide Tejinder Singh Gill. Khanna Police said that they have arrested Balwant Singh, the one who harboured Amritpal Singh's close aide Tejinder Singh Gill. "His questioning is underway," police said, adding that no connection between Amritpal Singh and Balwant Singh has been found yet. Tejinder Singh Gill alias Gorkha Baba, the core team member of Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh, the Khanna Police on Friday released incriminating videos recovered from the mobile phone of Gorkha. The chief of Waris Punjab De is still escaping the State police's dragnet. Amritpal Singh was declared a fugitive on the day, Punjab Police launched a crackdown against him and his pro-Khalistan outfit. Punjab Police on Saturday appealed to people not to believe in rumours and fake news of the arrest of radical prea

The Border Security Force (BSF) has arrested three suspects from West Tripura and seized 1,385 kg of marijuana (ganja) from their possession in a joint operation with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the official said on Sunday. The official said that a joint operation was carried out in the house of a suspected person of Urabari village in West Tripura following a specific intelligence input which was received in the early hours of Sunday indicating the stocking of a huge consignment of ganja. During the operation, one person was apprehended, the official said. "During preliminary cross-examination, he revealed the name of the main king-pin, a resident of West Tripura and other associates," the BSF official statement said. It further said that the ganja was recovered acting on the tip and the BSF arrested three people. "A total worth Rs 2,07,75,000 weighing 1385 kg of Ganja was recovered clandestinely hidden underground in their houses where all three

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Sunday slammed the BJP over its allegation that Rahul Gandhi insulted OBCs with his "Modi surname" remark in 2019 and said his party has done a lot for the backward classes, including making an OBC leader like him Chief Minister thrice. He also pointed out that his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel was also an OBC. Rahul Gandhi was on Thursday sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "why all thieves have Modi surname" remark. He was later disqualified from the Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction in the case. Several BJP leaders, including party chief J P Nadda, have accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting Other Backward Classes (OBCs) with his remark. Addressing a gathering at the Congress' day-long "Sankalp Satyagraha" at Rajghat, Mr Gehlot said Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an "experiment" during the Gujarat polls in 2017 by saying t

Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of late Sushma Swaraj, has been appointed as co-convener of the legal cell of Delhi BJP, paving her entry into active politics. Ms Swaraj practices law in the Supreme Court. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, in his first appointment in the state unit, after taking over as full-time state president of the party, appointed Ms Swaraj as co-convener of the legal cell. In a letter issued on Friday, Mr Sachdeva said that Ms Swaraj's appointment would come into force with immediate effect and hoped that she would strengthen the BJP. Ms Swaraj said she was a qualified lawyer and had been helping the party in legal matters earlier as well. "It is just that I have been formally given an opportunity to serve the party more actively in the capacity as a legal department co-convener of the Delhi BJP," she told (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-India-news

The 'Rampuri Chaku,' a knife made famous by 1980s Bollywood films, has been accorded a fitting tribute by the authorities in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur who named a roundabout 'chaku' chowk and installed a 20-foot Rampuri knife on it, as per a report in news agency PTI. Rampur was once recognised for several small-scale enterprises that produced high-quality foldable knives. Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh unveiled the 'knife' in the presence of senior authorities and local leaders. Rampur's Member of Legislative Assembly Akash Saxena, who was also present at the unveiling of the large knife, claimed that while Rampuri knives once represented fear, they are now being appreciated as a skill. The roundabout on Nainital road marks the entry point to Rampur when travelling from Uttarakhand. According to the MLA, Mr Saxena, the government has pleaded with state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to exempt the knife-making industries from the

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee can do no wrong as she is like a god, West Bengal minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said on Sunday, asserting that even priests sometimes turn out to be thieves, but not gods. Mr Chattopadhyay's comments, which triggered a controversy, came as the TMC battles allegations of irregularities in school recruitments with several of its top-rung leaders, including former education minister Partha Chatterjee, arrested. "Mamata Banerjee is like a god who we worship. Even the priests worshipping the god can at times be a thief but not the god, the idol he worships," he said, addressing a public meeting at Khardah in North 24 Parganas district. "Even I can be a thief, but not Mamata Banerjee," he added. Mr Chattopadhyay, the agriculture minister, alleged that several irregularities happened in educational institutes during the CPI(M)'s rule but those were never investigated. A person was appointed registrar of a university during the

Washington-based Indian journalist Lalit Jha was physically attacked and verbally abused by Khalistani supporters in Washington while he was covering a pro-Khalistan protest outside the Indian Embassy on Saturday afternoon. Mr Jha on Sunday thanked US Secret Service for protecting him, and helping him do his job. He said he was hit on his left ear with two sticks by the Khalistani supporters. He also shared a video of the Khalistani supporters on his Twitter handle. "Thank you @SecretService 4 my protection 2day 4 helping do my job, otherwise I would have been writing this from hospital. The gentleman below hit my left ear with these 2 sticks & earlier I had to call 9/11 & rushed 2 police van 4 safety fearing physical assault," Mr Jha tweeted on Sunday. "At one point I felt so threatened that I called 911. I then spotted Secret Service officers and narrated the incident to them," Mr Jha told ANI, adding that the protesters took charge of the situation. H

World's highest railway bridge over the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir is soon to get operational for rail traffic. The much-awaited world's highest railway bridge spans the Chenab River at a height of 359 m (1,178 ft) above the river, which is 35 meters taller than Paris' Eiffel Tower. The arch bridge between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir is 1,178 feet above the riverbed, forming a crucial link from Katra to Banihal. It is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), a dream project worth Rs 35000 crore. The bridge has passed all the mandatory tests. However, the Chenab railway bridge is near completion at present as the incumbent regime laid a special focus on the project worth Rs 1400 crore. The people of Jammu and Kashmir will get the bridge after two decades of waiting since the project was approved in 2003 but was delayed shortly due to fears of stability and safety. In the year 2008, the contract for constructing

Union Home Minister Amit Shah would hoist a 103 ft high national flag and inaugurate the 'Gorata Shaheed Smarak' and memorial of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Gorata ground in Bidar district on Sunday. The senior BJP leader will then fly to Gabbur in Raichur district where he will address a public meeting and participate in an inauguration and foundation laying programme in the afternoon. Amit Shah will attend an event organised by the 'Non-Resident Gujarati Samaj' here in the evening. Later, in an apparent move to woo the two dominant communities, Lingayatas and Vokkaligas, in the poll-bound Karnataka, where elections are due by May, the BJP leader will unveil the statues of 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara and the founder of Bengaluru city 'Nadaprabhu' Kempegowda on the 'Vidhana Soudha' premises. Amit Shah will also attend the BJP's core committee meeting here. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and i

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) opened the Leh-Manali Highway (NH3) for traffic, in a record time of 138 days, on Saturday. The 427-km strategic Leh-Manali Highway (NH3) connects Ladakh to the rest of India via Manali. The highway is strategic as it facilitates the movement of the armed forces and their supplies and wares to forward areas in the Ladakh region, bordering both China and Pakistan, as well as connecting Ladakh to the rest of India. The highway is an alternate axis to the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Highway. NH-1D, 422 km was opened by the BRO on March 16, 2023, and traffic has commenced on this axis. With the onset of winter and snow accumulation, the highway remains closed from November-end till it is opened to traffic by the BRO. The entire snow clearance operations were executed by the BRO, under 'Project Himank' in Ladakh and 'Project Deepak' in Himachal Pradesh. The challenging snow-clearing operation commenced from two extremities and were carried ou

Bihar deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said the Congress is the biggest party in the Opposition but wherever regional parties are strong, they should be allowed to sit in the "driver's seat" to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections. Yadav also said that former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad and current CM Nitish Kumar along with him were making efforts to bring together regional parties and the Congress. "The Congress is part of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar. In Bihar, we are the bigger party but the Congress is the biggest Opposition party in the country. Lalu ji, Nitish ji and all of us are making efforts that Congress and regional parties come together and to decide as to what is the way forward," Yadav told reporters in response to a question while leaving the CBI headquarters where he was quizzed for more than eight hours. "One thing is clear, we have said it earlier also, wherever regional parties are strong

A Bihar court on Saturday acquitted Union minister Giriraj Singh and 22 other people in connection with a nine-year-old case that was lodged after they staged a rail blockade. Giriraj Singh, along with LJP MP Veena Devi and BJP leaders Ram Surat Rai and Suresh Sharma, was among those who appeared before the MP/MLA court at Muzaffarpur in connection with the Railway Act case lodged in 2014. The 'rail roko ' was staged in March 2014, across the state in protest against denial of special category status to Bihar by the Congress-led UPA which was then in power. "The case was lodged at Railway Court in Sonepur and transferred here upon the establishment of MP/MLA court. Altogether 27 persons were named as accused and charge-sheet was filed against 23 of them. All of them were acquitted as no evidence was found against them," lawyer Ashok Kumar told reporters. Notably, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar continues to raise the demand for special status, and, has vowed to take s

The number of medical colleges in India has almost doubled since 2014, adding to the thrust on medical education in the country. According to the official data released by the central governmnet, the number of medical colleges has been increased almost twice in the eight years of the Modi government. In 2014, there were 387 medical colleges in the country. In 2023, the number of medical colleges in India increased to 660. When it comes to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the total number was seven in the country in 2014. Today, the number of AIIMS has increased to 22. The number of post-graduation seats in medical education got a boost in the last eight years. There is a total of 65,335 PG medical seats in the country today which is more than double what was in 2014. There were 31,185 PG medical seats in India in 2014. Similarly, the number of MBBS seats was increased to 1,01,043 today from 51,348 in 2014. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edite

A local court on Friday awarded death sentence to a man for murdering an elderly couple related to him in 2013. The additional sessions court sentenced Arun Sasi to death for killing his relative Thankamma (68) and her husband, Bhaskaran Nair (71), with an intention to rob them. The court, while awarding the death sentence, noted that the convict, who was supposed to protect the elderly couple as the latter's daughters were abroad, committed a brutal murder which cannot be justified. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the convict. It also sentenced him to seven and five years of rigorous imprisonment for using a deadly weapon for robbing and house trespass in order to commit an offence punishable with death, respectively. The incident took place on September 28, 2013. Additional prosecutor K Jitheesh said the convict reached the house of the couple and brutally attacked Nair and his wife using a hammer. He said Sasi was nabbed in a theft case following which his ro

The Congress cannot digest that sons of the poor, Dalit and backward classes are reaching the highest positions in the country, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday, a day after Rahul Gandhi was convicted in a criminal defamation case for his "Modi surname" remark. Addressing a rally here in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he attacked the opposition party, saying it has always done "politics of dividing the country" and has promoted "naxalism and terrorism" for its political gains. The Lok Sabha Secretariat disqualified the Congress leader as MP from Wayanad in Kerala after he was convicted in the 2019 case and sentenced to two years imprisonment by a Surat court on Thursday for his remark "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" Following his disqualification, he would not be able to contest elections for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction and sentence. "The nation has been witnes

A case of missile misfire was reported when an Army unit was carrying out field firing practice at Pokharan ranges in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. According to Indian Army officials, the missile detonated in flight but the debris fell into the adjoining fields. Army said there was no loss of life or property. An investigation into the matter was initiated. "No damage rendered to any personnel and property. The issue is being investigated," said Indian Army officials. Further details are awaited. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-India-news https://ift.tt/txD5YWZ

Punjab Police on Friday said they have released 44 people taken into preventive custody during a crackdown on radical preacher Amritpal Singh and handed them over to their family. "In the larger interest of the public and keeping in view that youngsters should not suffer, Punjab Police have decided to release those persons who have a minimum role or were just following Amritpal Singh on religious sentiments only," said Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla. Mr Shukla said in a statement that 44 people, who were under preventive custody, were released and handed over to their family members on Friday following a promise of good conduct in future. On Thursday, Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said that Punjab Police might release 177 people from preventive custody. A total of 207 people were taken into custody for allegedly disturbing peace and harmony. Of them, 30 have been found involved in major criminal activit

The Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala was declared vacant on Friday after its MP Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from parliament after he was sentenced to a two-year jail term in a criminal defamation case. The Lok Sabha secretariat issued a notification disqualifying Mr Gandhi as a member of the Lower House of parliament following his conviction by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case. The Lok Sabha website now shows three vacant seats – Jalandhar, Lakshadweep and Wayanad. The Jalandhar seat fell vacant after the demise of Congress member Santokh Singh Chaudhary. The Lakshadweep seat fell vacant after the disqualification of NCP member Mohammad Faizal P P after his conviction in an attempt to murder case in which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. MrGandhi represented the Amethi parliamentary seat in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2019. BJP leader Smriti Irani defeated Gandhi in Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Mr Gandhi won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections

 In pursuance of its policy to uphold the freedom of the Press, the government does not interfere in the functioning of the Press, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur told Parliament on Thursday. Press Council of India (PCI), a statutory autonomous body, has been set up under the Press Council Act, 1978 mainly to preserve the freedom of the Press and improve the standards of newspapers and news agencies in the country, Mr Thakur said in a written response to a question asked by Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai. Mr Desai, a Shiv Sena (UBT ) MP had sought a response from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry if there was any restriction on the use or misuse of freedom of expression in the media. In his detailed reply, Mr Thakur stated that freedom of speech and expression is a constitutionally guaranteed Fundamental Right to citizens under Article 19(1) with restrictions as stated in Article 19(2). Under Article 19(2), the State is empowered to impose reasonable