Author: TheStateLine

Patna, Feb 23 (IANS) The Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government has tightened restrictions on treasury withdrawals exceeding Rs 1 crore, making prior permission mandatory. The decision, taken ahead of the March closing of the 2025–26 financial year, has triggered a fresh political confrontation, with the Opposition alleging a severe financial crisis and the ruling alliance dismissing the claims as baseless.Reacting sharply to the decision, Ranvijay Sahu, General Secretary of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), accused the government of draining the treasury through arbitrary spending.Sahu claimed that funds were distributed indiscriminately, including cash assistance to women during elections, leading to a serious financial crunch.“The government is bankrupt. The treasury is empty. D...

Kolkata, Feb 23 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Monday ordered that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs be made a party in the case relating to illegal constructions in the East Kolkata Wetlands, court sources said.Justice Amrita Sinha of the Calcutta High Court expressed dissatisfaction with the role of the state government and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation in addressing the issue. The court observed that if necessary, central forces might have to be deployed to demolish the illegal constructions in the wetlands.The matter came up following allegations that more than 500 illegal constructions had come up in the East Kolkata Wetlands, reportedly after filling up ecologically sensitive wetland areas in violation of environmental norms.Justice Sinha’s Bench has conducted multiple hearin...

New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday unveiled India's inaugural National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy, titled 'PRAHAAR', marking a major milestone in the country’s long-standing efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms.The Ministry of Home Affairs has introduced the nation’s first comprehensive counter-terrorism policy, titled ‘PRAHAAR’, establishing a structured national framework to address evolving and complex security threats, including cross-border terrorism, drone-based attacks, cyber-enabled threats, and organised terror networks.The document underscores India’s decades-long experience and leadership in combating terrorism, firmly rejecting any attempt to link terrorism with any particular religion, ethnicity, nationality, or civilisatio...

Amaravati, Feb 23 (IANS) The government of Andhra Pradesh is considering a legislation to bar school students from using social media. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha said this in the state Legislative Assembly on Monday.During discussion on the control of false propaganda on social media, she said a Cabinet sub-committee has been formed to suggest measures to regulate social media an counter false propaganda.She stated that the sub-committee has met twice so far and discussed various issues at length.The sub-committee reviewed the measures being implemented in states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Special attention has been paid to the measures that can be taken in the state and can prove effective.The Home Minister stated that strict measures are being taken to control hateful and obsce...

Mumbai, Feb 23 (IANS) Israel plans to expand its bilateral defence agreement with India to share its technology and manufacture military hardware in India, as well as extend the cooperation to the latest Iron Dome and other defence systems, Israeli Consul General to Midwest India Yaniv Revach said on Monday.In an exclusive interview with IANS ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel, Revach said, “Prime Minister Netanyahu specifically said that one of the aspects of this visit is defence cooperation, and we try to promote and to upgrade the defence cooperation with India, definitely."​"First of all, we have an ongoing defence cooperation, very unique and strong between the two states, because of the mutual challenges that we're both facing. Now, during this specific visit ...

New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 15 lakh on Vajirao & Reddy Institute for publishing misleading advertisements related to the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2023 results, ruling that the coaching institute deliberately concealed crucial information regarding the courses actually taken by successful candidates.In an order passed on February 20, the CCPA, headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, found that the institute’s promotional claims — including "Over 645 selections out of 1,016 vacancies in UPSC CSE 2023", "6 in Top 10 AIR", "35 in Top 50 AIR", and "64 in Top 100 AIR" — created a false impression among aspirants about the nature of services offered.It observed that the adve...

New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said that quality must become the core focus of India’s manufacturing and export ecosystem if the country wants to achieve its long-term economic goals.Addressing the first National Quality Conclave virtually, organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in partnership with the Quality Council of India (QCI), Goyal stressed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “zero defect, zero effect” should guide India’s growth journey during the Amrit Kaal and help realise the dream of Viksit Bharat 2047.“India cannot grow by remaining only a consumer nation. The country must establish itself as a global producer of high-quality goods and services, and that Brand India shoul...

Raipur/Bijapur Feb 23 (IANS) A Special Task Force jawan was injured in an IED explosion in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday during an ongoing anti-Naxal operation in the southern region of the district. ​The incident occurred in a forested area where security forces were conducting area domination and search duties as part of efforts to curb Maoist activities. ​A pressure improvised explosive device planted by Naxalites detonated when the STF team passed through the location, causing injuries to one personnel from the elite counter-insurgency unit, officials said. ​Security personnel on site provided immediate first aid to the injured jawan. He was quickly evacuated to a nearby medical facility and later transferred to a higher-level hospital for advanced treatment.​According ...