Akshita Kapoor

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Saturday said efforts must be made for inclusion of women in the workforce and asserted that laws and policies need to be made accordingly.Chairing the 10th governing council meeting of the govt's policy think tank Niti Aayog, Modi emphasised the strength of the country's 'nari shakti' (women power) and urged changing of laws to empower women to join the growth trajectory. He also said there should be reforms in public and private sectors with focus on ease of working for women.The PM urged states to develop at least one tourist destination on a par with global standards by providing all facilities and infrastructure, saying 25-30 such destinations could be created across the country. Modi also emphasised the need to focus on health services delivery, urging states to ensure oxygen availability and be ready […]

[ad_1] MOSCOW/TOKYO/MANAMA: The all-party delegations from India to Russia and Japan on Saturday concluded their visits with "constructive meetings" with diplomatic leaderships discussing global fight against terror as a third similar team reached Bahrain to highlight New Delhi's response to cross-border radicalism.The delegations that exchanged views on furthering cooperation in counter-terrorism and combating radicalism are part of India's global outreach with its seven multi-party delegations travelling to 33 global capitals following the April 22 Pahalgam attack.Meeting with the political leadership, media, officials and members of diplomatic corps, the delegations spread awareness about Pakistan's terror designs and India's response to terror and shared information about Operation Sindoor.The delegation to Moscow, led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, addressed a presser at the end of the visit and described Russia as a "close and tried and tested" friend. "We naturally seek an understanding […]

[ad_1] JAMSHEDPUR: A Jamshedpur man died along with his wife and two minor daughters in a suspected suicide pact at their home in Chitragupt Nagar Friday night, reports B Sridhar. The family of Krishna Kumar (40) allegedly made the suicide pact after he was diagnosed with blood cancer on May 8.Kumar's father Shubhendra Tiwary said, "My son went into depression after he was diagnosed with cancer."Seraikela sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Sameer Sawaiya said a suicide note recovered from the crime scene indicated that Kumar conceived the suicide pact as he was concerned about the future of his wife Dolly (34), and daughters Puja (12) and Kirti (6), after his death. "Dolly's relationship with her in-laws was not good, the note revealed. The couple bought four iron hooks, four ropes and a ladder to execute the act."The company Kumar used to […]

[ad_1] BUXAR: A long-running dispute over sand dumping turned deadly in Ahiyapur village of Buxar, Bihar, leaving three brothers dead and two others critically injured on Saturday. The gunfight triggered widespread outrage and heightened tension in the region.Mantu Singh Yadav, 35, sustained serious bullet wounds to the stomach and leg and remains in critical condition at a hospital in Varanasi. His brothers, Vinod Singh Yadav and Sunil Singh Yadav, died on the spot, while Virendra Singh Yadav succumbed to injuries during treatment. Another brother, Punj Singh Yadav, was also shot and is undergoing treatment.Violence erupted early morning when a group of men arrived in a car and confronted the victims. A heated argument snowballed into indiscriminate firing. The assailants fled after the firing. The car used in the attack is linked to a former district board member, raising suspicions of […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Chief ministers of five states, including Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Siddaramaiah, did not attend the 10th governing council meeting of govt's policy think tank Niti Aayog Saturday. The other two CMs who skipped the meeting were Bihar's Nitish Kumar and Puducherry's N Rangasamy, both NDA allies.Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam told reporters that 31 states and UT out of 36 participated in the meeting. "This is the highest-ever participation of the governing council of Niti Aayog. We had 31 participants long long ago, maybe in the first meeting and once more. This shows that people came with a very positive bent of mind," he said.He said the five states whose chief minister's could not attend had informed in advance about clash of commitments and other reasons. Some of the prominent CMs from opposition governed states present […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Pressing for early action on the scandal about cash haul at the residence of high court Justice Yashwant Varma, Congress MP Vivek Tankha expressed concern with the Rajya Sabha chairman that parliamentarians have not been provided with the inquiry report of the case, even though Parliament is the sole authority to decide the fate of HC and SC justices facing allegations of malfeasance.The three-member SC panel that looked into the scandal submitted its report around three weeks ago.In a letter to RS chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Tankha demanded that MPs be given a copy of the inquiry report without delay "to protect our judicial integrity and independence", as also to ensure that the issue moves forward. He added that delay in action in this case has eroded public confidence in the institutions.MPs are still unaware of the findings […]

[ad_1] CHANDIGARH: The Chief Justice (CJ) of Punjab and Haryana high court has withdrawn a case from its judge "in the interest of the institution" and to "protect the reputation" of the judge after receiving "oral and written" complaints, according to an order from the CJ.The court also asserted that the power of the Chief Justice to allocate a particular case to any particular bench or withdraw a particular case from any particular bench and allocate the same to any other judge is "untrammelled and immune from judicial scrutiny".The order came after eminent lawyer Mukul Rohtagi, the counsel for the petitioner Roop Bansal, who had sought the quashing of an FIR registered against him by the Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau under the Prevention of Corruption Act in Panchkula on April 17, had objected to the withdrawal of the case. The petition […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Government has ratified the interest rate of 8.25% to be paid to over 7 crore subscribers of the retirement body Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). Sources said now the interest rate for 2024-25 would be credited to the account of the subscribers soon.In February, the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) had recommended a 8.25% annual rate of interest to be credited on EPF accumulations in members' accounts for financial year 2024-25. The interest rate has to be approved by finance ministry, and once this process is complete, the EPF credits the rate of interest into subscribers' accounts.The EPFO had decided to increase the rate to 8.25% in 2023-24, up from the 8.15% in 2022-23. The 8.25% rate was retained in 2024-25 by the CBT.In March 2022, the EPFO had pegged the rate on EPF for 2021-22 to […]

[ad_1] Sahdevsinh Gohil (Photo credit: ANI) NEW DELHI: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Saturday arrested a contractual health worker posted in the border district of Kutch for allegedly sharing sensitive information about military establishments with a Pakistani spy.According to an ATS release, the accused, Sahdevsinh Gohil, 28, was lured by a Pakistani agent who identified herself as Aditi Bharadwaj. He allegedly shared information about both under-construction and existing establishments of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Indian Navy in the region.Superintendent of Police (ATS) Siddharth Korukonda said Gohil, a resident of Lakhpat taluka in Kutch, had since June 2023 sent photos and videos of various BSF and naval facilities in Kutch district to the Pakistani spy via WhatsApp in exchange for money, reported news agency PTI.The Pakistani agent first contacted Gohil, who worked as a contractual health worker […]

[ad_1] At first glance, this panoramic view might resemble a sunlit desert in the American Southwest, with quiet ridges, earthy tones, and distant peaks. But look closer: you're actually seeing Mars. Captured by NASA’s Curiosity rover from the slopes of the three-mile-high Mount Sharp inside Gale Crater, this surreal landscape is part of a stunning 30-second video showing what the Red Planet looks like up close. What seems like mountain ranges is actually the rim of an ancient crater, created billions of years ago by a massive asteroid impact. It’s the next best thing to hiking Mars without a spacesuit.NASA shares Earth like visuals from MarsThe panoramic video was captured earlier this year while Curiosity explored a region known as the sulfate-bearing unit. Rich in salty minerals likely left behind by evaporating streams and ponds, the terrain provides a window […]