THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state cabinet on Wednesday cleared a series of key decisions, including financial approvals under the LIFE Mission, welfare measures for Scheduled Tribes, and creation of new posts in government institutions. As part of the LIFE Mission housing scheme, the Cabinet gave in-principle approval for loans worth Rs 1,500 crore. Of this, a loan of Rs 1,100 crore will support 1,27,601 houses currently under construction and provide Rs 400 crore in housing assistance to beneficiar

NEW DELHI: Amid a ruckus in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday as Home Minister Amit Shah introduced a Bill aimed at bringing the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and Union or state ministers under the ambit of law, Shah launched a sharp attack on the Congress-led Opposition, saying the people of the country must decide whether it is right for a leader to run the government while in jail. Shah said the Constitution Amendment Bill, tabled with the consent of the Lok Sabha Speaker, seeks to ensure key con

Id sit alone and watch your light, my only friend through teenage nights, and everything I had to know, I heard it on my radio, these lines crooned by Freddie Mercury in the hit classic Radio Ga Ga , captured the relationship that young people growing up in the golden age of radio shared with it. Many of those young people, much older now, still hang on to this intimate and nostalgic relationship, refusing to let it be relegated to the past. My Radio My Life , an award-winning documentary set to

MUMBAI: Torrential rains over the past two days has displaced around 4,143 people across Maharashtra, with Raigad district reporting the highest number at 1,332, according to the state disaster management authority. On August 19, rain-related incidents, including wall collapses, drowning, falling trees and landslides, killed 10 people and injured two, while 52 animals also died, the report said. The data showed Raigad recorded the largest displacement at 1,332, followed by 610 in Thane, 471 in S

CHANDIGARH: In view of persistent rainfall, the district administration has called off the Kinnaur Kailash Yatra with immediate effect. A pilgrim from Uttar Pradesh was killed after being hit by a shooting stone on the Yatra route. With this, the death toll of pilgrims on the Yatra has risen to five. This year recorded the highest number of pilgrims 7,316. Sources said that 31-year-old Gaurav, a resident of Aditya World City in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, died after sustaining injuries from a sho

GUWAHATI: Claiming that some strange people from different parts of the country were visiting Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said they will be arrested if they cross limits. Speaking to reporters at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where he went on Monday night following the death of a newborn , Sarma said these people were advocates from Mumbai and Kerala. We are keeping a track of them. They had also come when the NRC was being updated in the state, and spoiled the e

CHENNAI: As the extended three-day weekend drew to a close, there was heavy vehicular movement and bottlenecks at multiple points as hundreds of residents who had travelled to their hometown or tourist destinations outside Chennai began returning on Sunday evening. Key stretches that witnessed congestion included Perungalathur near Tambaram, and Padalam and Pukkathurai close to Chengalpattu. Intermittent rainfall in and around Tambaram added to the traffic woes. According to sources, traffic slo

NEW DELHI: A portion of Humayun's Tomb in Delhi's Nizamuddin area collapsed on Friday with the authorities saying that eight to nine people are feared trapped. A call regarding a portion of a dome falling was received around 4.30 pm, a Delhi Fire Services official said. Eight to nine people are feared trapped and five fire tenders have been rushed, the official said. The monument is a mid-16th century mausoleum that is frequented by tourists. VIDEO | Delhi: A portion of the structure at Humayuns

NEW DELHI: Flagging obesity as a major challenge for the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech on Friday, once again exhorted people to reduce edible oil consumption by 10 per cent to address this pressing health concern. This is the third time the prime minister has raised an alarm on rising obesity, which leads to heart diseases, strokes, type-2 diabetes, certain cancers, digestive problems, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and fatty liver disease. Addressing the na

On the morning of August 15, 1947, the rest of India erupted in celebration, marking the nations long-fought freedom from colonial rule. But in Travancore, the atmosphere was different. The streets were not filled with joyous processions. Instead, there was an unusual stillness, laced with anxiety. Three days before the historic day, dewan C P Ramaswami Iyer issued an order that the Indian Tricolour was not to be hoisted anywhere in Travancore. Only the flag bearing the conch shell emblem of the

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday launched a digital portal, through which indigenous people living in sensitive areas can apply for arms licences. The aim of the initiative is to enable responsible citizens aid and assist the government in maintaining peace, and law and order situation in the state, Sarma said. He said the licences will be granted after proper scrutiny and a multi-layered process. The CM said the licences will be granted to those individuals who do

THANE: A fire broke out at a cafe located in a multi-storey residential building in Maharashtra's Thane city early Thursday morning, following which 35 persons were evacuated from the structure, officials said. No casualty has been reported as of now, Thane Municipal Corporation's disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said. The blaze erupted in the Parsik Cafe located on the ground floor of the six-storey building at Kharegaon in Kalwa (West), he said. The disaster management cell received

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday stepped up its campaign against alleged 'vote chori' by releasing a new video depicting how fake votes were being cast and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge asking people to raise their voice and save constitutional institutions from the clutches of the BJP. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also shared the minute-long video and said, Aapke vote ki chori aapke adhikar ki chori, aapki pehchaan ki chori hai. Tagging the advertisement titled 'booth par vote chori, Congr

NEW DELHI: Upping the ante over Rahul Gandhi's poll rigging claims, the Congress on Tuesday announced a roadmap to take its vote chori allegations to the people, which include taking out 'Loktantra bachao mashaal marches' on Independence Day eve. The opposition party also claimed that as more evidence of vote chori was coming to the fore, it seemed that it was not mere theft but dacoity. The assertion was made after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge held a meeting with party general secretar

RANCHI: More than 1 lakh people, including several VIPs, are expected to attend the Shradh-Karma of Dishom Guru Shibu Soren on August 15th and the Sanskar Bhoj on August 16th. As preparations are in full swing, four helipads have been built in Nemra. Out of these, three have been built near the ancestral house of Shibu Soren, while the other has been built on Lukaiyatand Road. Distribution of cards printed in Hindi and Santhali languages, has already started. The Cabinet Secretariat will send in

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Soft skills are the most important skillset in the job market today. Not everyone in a crowd may be strong in this area, but securing a job remains essential. To help aspirants of all age groups to get into their dream job, the Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission (KKEM) have stepped forward to give support on the soft skills part. Marking a remarkable feat in their journey, the KKEM has already provided soft skills training to over 9,396 people of different age groups in the las

CHENNAI: Along with focussing on the economy, India needs to invest in people to become a developed nation, said Congress MP Shashi Tharoor at 21st convocation ceremony of Great Lakes Institute of Management Delivering his speech at the event, Tharoor said, India is the worlds third largest startup ecosystem, over 140,000 startups, more than 160 unicorns, dominating sectors like fintech, e-commerce, healthcare. However, the worlds most innovative and developed nations arent merely determined by

NEW DELHI: Upping the ante over Rahul Gandhi's poll rigging claims , the Congress has launched a web page where people can register to demand accountability from the Election Commission against what it called was vote chori and express support for his demand for digital voter rolls. Anyone can click on the portal link and download vote chori proof, demand EC accountability and report vote chori. It also carries Gandhi's video in which reiterated his explosive claims of a huge criminal fraud in t

THANE: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists allegedly assaulted a food stall operator in Kalyan area of Thane district, accusing him of making derogatory remarks against Marathi people and Raj Thackeray. Taking cognisance of the viral video, a police official said the law and order monitoring has been stepped up. The incident occurred at a hotel in Durgamata Mandir Chowk area on Friday. The video clip shows MNS's Kalyan (East) office-bearer Kush Rajput and other workers confronting the operator

DEHRADUN: Heavy rain continued to pound Uttarkashi as rescuers resumed their operations on Wednesday in Dharali, searching for flash flood victims amid the rubble. Nearly half of the picturesque Dharali village was ravaged by the flash flood on Tuesday afternoon. The village is the main stopover on the way to Gangotri, from where the Ganga originates Four deaths have so far been confirmed in the flash flood, which followed a cloudburst. Around 130 people have been evacuated to safety. Not a sing

The Election Commission of India on Thursday said that all political parties and electors will be given a time period of one month to add names of eligible citizens or remove names of those they think are ineligible from the draft electoral rolls of Bihar. In a statement, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumarthe announced that as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the draft electoral rolls will be published on August 1. Physical as well as digit

NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday said there have been eight air accidents that killed 274 people in the country so far this year. Apart from the Air India plane crash on June 12 that killed 260 people, there were three trainee aircraft accidents and four helicopter accidents. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Lok Sabha that the cause of these accidents is under probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). There have been a total of 08 accidents (in

BHOPAL: Several people, including school children, were stranded in parts of Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district due to a flood-like situation after heavy rains, prompting the authorities to call the Army for rescue and relief work, officials said on Wednesday. A flood-like situation has also arisen in Guna district, where a bridge on a culvert caved-in. People from several villages in Guna have been asked to move to safer places, they said. Due to heavy rains, Dindori, Vidisha, Jabalpur, Narmada

A day before the Supreme Court is set to hear petitions challenging its revision drive, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the successful completion of the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

KOLKATA: The political slugfest between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP over the alleged harassment and torture of Bengali-speaking people from West Bengal in various BJP-ruled states continued on Saturday as the BJP accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of compromising national security for vote-bank politics. In response, the Trinamool Congress alleged that the BJP is harassing the people of Bengal , while stating that as long as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is there, no one

Amid mounting criticim over the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar , the Election Commission on Thursday in a statement defended the exercise, asking if the poll body should instead be allowing he dead, those who have migrated permanently or have registered themselves as electors at multiple places be included in the voters' list. The Constitution of India is the mother of Indian democracy....So, fearing these things, should the Election Commission, getti

GUWAHATI: The eviction drives in Assam have left the Nagas worried about a possible influx of the displaced people into Nagaland. The Konyak Students Union, apex student body of Konyak Nagas in Nagaland, on July 23, directed its federating units, especially in Tizit and Naginimora areas, to deploy 100 volunteers daily to every entry point of Mon district. The volunteers are tasked with checking all non-locals entering Mon district to ensure they are carrying valid ILP (Inner Line Permit) and pro

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday slammed the BJP government in Assam for threatening Bengali-speaking people in the northeastern state, who want to peacefully coexist, respecting all languages and religions. Banerjee also asserted that the divisive agenda of the BJP in Assam has crossed all limits. The TMC supremo has been accusing the Centre and the BJP-ruled states of systematically targeting Bengali-speaking migrants by branding them as illegal Bangladeshi or Ro

PATNA: Lightning strikes during monsoon storms in eastern India this week killed at least 33 people and injured dozens, officials said Friday. The deaths in Bihar occurred during fierce storms between Wednesday and Thursday, a state disaster management department statement said, with the victims mostly farmers and labourers working in the open. More heavy rain and lightning are forecast for parts of the state. Bihar state's disaster management minister, Vijay Kumar Mandal, told AFP that official

MOTIHARI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday alleged that the RJD could not think of providing employment to youths as the party usurped the land of poor people before giving them jobs. He also accused the Congress-RJD combine of playing politics in the name of the poor and socially marginalised people and blamed both parties for the state's earlier neglect and stagnation. Addressing a public rally in Motihari ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, the PM coined a new slogan, 'Banayenge n

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday criticised the BJP over the clash in the Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan, alleging that people with serious criminal records were being inducted into the party. Speaking to reporters, Raut said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should dissolve his government, and the President's rule must be imposed in the state. Supporters of BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar and NCP (SP) legislator Jitendra Awhad came to blows inside the Maharashtra legislature complex on

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit the streets of Kolkata on Wednesday afternoon to protest the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states. Senior leaders of the party, including TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, joined Banerjee as she led thousands of people in the march, which began from College Square in central Kolkata around 1.45 pm. The march will terminate at Dorina Crossing in Dharmatala. The nearly 3-km route was wrapped in sec

AHMEDABAD: Just days after the Gambhira bridge collapse between Vadodara and Anand claimed 21 lives, Gujarat has been jolted by another alarming bridge mishap this time in Junagadhs Mangrol taluka. In Ajak village, a portion of a dilapidated bridge gave way, plunging over eight people and a breaker machine into the river from a height. Miraculously, all were rescued without fatalities. Even as panic spread, the Junagadh District Executive Engineer claimed, the bridge hadnt collapsed but was bein

AHMEDABAD: Just days after the Gambhira bridge collapse between Vadodara and Anand claimed 21 lives, Gujarat has been jolted by another alarming bridge mishap this time in Junagadhs Mangrol taluka. In Ajak village, a portion of a dilapidated bridge gave way, plunging over eight people and a breaker machine into the river from a height. Miraculously, all were rescued without fatalities. Even as panic spread, the Junagadh District Executive Engineer claimed, the bridge hadnt collapsed but was bein

NEW DELHI: The Centre has informed the Delhi High Court it has no plans to introduce Rs 50 coin as people prefer banknotes. The submissions came in response to a PIL seeking directions to produce currency notes and coins, particularly Rs 50 and below, which would be easily identifiable by blind persons. A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal on Wednesday noted though the counter affidavit was filed with the registry, it was not on record. Let necessary steps be t

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday accused the ruling BJP of reneging on its pre-poll promises and asked people to remain united in the fight to protect their 'jal, jungle and zameen' (water, forest, land). He alleged the BJP was trying to intimidate everyone in the country and misusing central probe agencies against its opponents. Speaking at a public rally titled, 'Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan-Jai Samvidhan' at Science College Ground in Raipur amid heavy rains, the Leader of Opposition in

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday appealed to citizens to preserve and nurture the knowledge shared by the state's saints and icons, calling it a responsibility. Maharashtra produced not just warriors, but protectors of dharma, visionaries of the nation, and architects of modern India, he said. Though we may not be the direct descendants of Dnyaneshwar, Shivaji Maharaj, Savitribai Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, we are the carriers of their intellectual legacy. With

NEW DELHI: Terming the framing and implementation of the three new criminal laws as the biggest reform in Independent India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that they are framed in such a way that all rights of citizens are protected and no criminal goes unpunished. Speaking at a function here to mark the one year of implementation of the three laws - Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), Shah asserte

IMPHAL: The Manipur Police on Tuesday said security forces have launched search operations to arrest the gunmen who killed four people in an ambush in Churachandpur district a day ago. An FIR has been registered in connection with the killing of the four people, and security has been tightened to prevent any escalation of violence, a police statement said. Operations have been launched by security forces to arrest the culprits involved in the incident. An FIR has been registered in connection wi

SRINAGAR: Three Kashmir-based political parties have come together to form a new political alliance named the Peoples Alliance for Change. The alliance comprises the Peoples Conference, led by MLA Sajjad Gani Lone; the Peoples Democratic Front (PDF), headed by former MLA Hakim Mohammad Yasin; and the Justice & Development Front (JDF), a newly-formed party comprising former members of the now-banned Jamaat-e-Islami. The announcement was made at a press conference in Srinagar by JDF President Sham

People think I am the next Lalu Prasad: Tej Undeterred by his ouster from the family and expulsion from the party for six years, Tej Pratap Yadav, the eldest son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and RJD MLA, now claims that there are conspiracies against him as people recognise him as the next Lalu Prasad. I would like my brother Tejashwi Prasad Yadav to become the CM after the elections later this year. I aim to play the role of a kingmaker, Tej said. He, however, made it clear that he would not change

KOLHAPUR: NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday said that the people of Maharashtra are not anti-Hindi, but it is not right to impose the language on young students in Class 1-4. Speaking to reporters here, he said 55 per cent of the country's population speaks Hindi, and one cannot ignore it. A language row erupted in Maharashtra after the state government last week issued an amended order stating Hindi will generally be taught as the third language to students in Marathi and English medium

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday alleged the BJP is trying to create a divide among people based on language and accused the ruling party of imposing a 'language emergency' in Maharashtra. Talking to reporters here, the former Maharashtra chief minister insisted his party, a former BJP ally, was not opposed to Hindi, but asserted it was certainly against the language's imposition in the predominantly Marathi-speaking state. We don't oppose or hate any language, but that

SHIMLA: Search operations have been intensified to trace 10 people missing since the flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in Himachal's Kangra and Kullu districts, officials said on Thursday. Two persons died while about 20 were feared swept away due to heavy rains on Wednesday evening but some of the missing people have since been rescued. In Manuni Khad in Kangra district, around 15-20 workers stationed at a labour colony near the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric project site were feared sw

AHMEDABAD: The staggering scale of educated unemployment in Gujarat has come into sharp focus. Over 5.42 lakh aspirants have applied for just 2,389 Revenue Talati Class-3 posts, revealing an intense desperation for government jobs. Simultaneously, more than 2.48 lakh candidates are preparing for the written exam to fill 12,000 Lokrakshak Dal constable posts, highlighting the fierce competition. In a notable shift, the state has raised the bar for Talati posts, making a graduation degree mandator

AHMEDABAD: The National Food Security Act mandates the State to guarantee food access for every citizen, from the womb stage to adulthood. However, the system meant to safeguard this right in Gujarat is cracking. Startling data from the States own IPDS portal reveals that nearly 10 lakh beneficiaries were not able to receive ration during April, May, and June 2025, largely due to incomplete KYC formalities. This massive lapse exposes the gap between policy promises and on-ground delivery, leavin

RAIPUR: The Vishnu Deo Sai cabinet embarked on a singular initiative -- Chintan Shivir 2.0 -- where all state ministers shared their experiences, lessons learnt, accounts from the field, as they got an opportunity for introspectionon an attentive, thoughtful platform. Cited as no ordinary government meeting, the two-day extensive deliberations and exchange of better ideas held at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur campus is exclusively designed for the ministers to reflect on their

RAIPUR: The Vishnu Deo Sai cabinet embarked on a singular initiative -- Chintan Shivir 2.0 -- where all state ministers shared their experiences, lessons learnt, accounts from the field, as they got an opportunity for introspectionon an attentive, thoughtful platform. Cited as no ordinary government meeting, the two-day extensive deliberations and exchange of better ideas held at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur campus is exclusively designed for the ministers to reflect on their

NEW DELHI: With fresh violence rocking parts of Manipur, the Congress on Sunday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his insensitivity to the suffering of people in the state. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the pain, distress, and agony of the people of Manipur continues unabated as five districts of Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Katching, and Bishnupur in Manipur have been rocked by violence in the last 24 hours. A day after violent protests erupted in M

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, instead of introspecting on the defeat in the 2024 state assembly polls, has been repudiating the mandate given by the people because they rejected him. The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha is preparing his excuses for future defeats in the upcoming assembly elections, including Bihar, Fadnavis said in his articles published in the Indian Express and Marathi daily Loksatta. On Saturday, Gandhi, in