Month: May 2025

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: As Congress toasted Rahul Gandhi for championing the "caste census" which forced Modi govt to accept the demand after 11 years of "stubborn refusal", the Gandhi scion Friday told Congress Working Committee the party should take up an issue and stick to it for sustained periods to bring about a change.It is learnt Congress will centre stage its role in making caste enumeration a reality during ongoing "samvidhan bachao rallies" at state, district and assembly-levels. The party is also likely to mount a strong campaign for caste quotas in private educational institutions under Article 15(5), and a constitutional amendment to remove the 50% cap on reservations.Calling for urgent action on the decennial census as the govt has not given a timeline or budget for conducting it, CWC sought an "immediate debate in Parliament". It cautioned that caste […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: The IAF now wants to acquire three high-altitude platform system (HAPS) aircraft, which are basically unmanned aerial vehicles or 'pseudo-satellites' that operate in the stratosphere for long durations on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions."Capable of operating at an altitude of about 20km, which is much higher than the flightpaths of commercial planes, the HAPS aircraft will be used for persistent ISR as well as act as airborne data relay for other unmanned platforms for electronic and communications intelligence," an officer said.Initiating the case for the three long-duration HAPS aircraft and associated equipment, amid heightened tensions with Pakistan as well as the lack of de-escalation along Line of Actual Control with China, IAF has issued an initial request for information (RFI) for vendors to submit their responses by June 20.HAPS aircraft, which are usually solar-powered, are considered […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Yoga guru Ramdev on Friday gave an undertaking to Delhi high court saying he would not issue disparaging statements or put up social media posts similar to his "sharbat jihad" remarks against Hamdard's Rooh Afza.Justice Amit Bansal, who had on Thursday warned Ramdev of contempt action and ordered removal of controversial online content, asked the yoga guru's counsel to file an affidavit to this effect. A similar undertaking was tendered by Ramdev's Patanjali Foods Ltd.HC then recorded the fresh undertaking, doing so while dealing with a lawsuit by Hamdard against Ramdev and Patanjali. Hamdard claimed that while promoting Patanjali's Gulab Sharbat, Ramdev alleged the money earned from Rooh Afza was used to build madrasas and mosques. Last month, HC had sought an affidavit from Ramdev and Patanjali that they would not disparage products of the competitors, including […]

[ad_1] SRINAGAR: Pakistan national Meenal Ahmed Khan was reunited with her husband, CRPF trooper Munir Khan, on J&K high court’s orders this week after being escorted back to Jammu from the Attari border checkpoint in Punjab moments before she was to be deported.Her lawyer and BJP spokesperson Ankur Sharma said Meenal, who married Munir in Jan and entered India on a tourist visa valid till March 22, was eligible for a long-term visa by virtue of being an Indian citizen’s wife.Sharma said Munir, who moved court last Tuesday after his wife received a deportation notice, didn’t breach service rules by marrying a Pakistani as he officially intimated the CRPF headquarters about it before the wedding.“Meenal’s long-term visa is under the ‘deemed granted’ category and on this basis, we filed a petition against her deportation,” he said. “The court passed an […]