Author: TheStateLine

Kolkata, Feb 24 (IANS) A bomb threat was sent to seven courts in West Bengal, including the Calcutta High Court, through e-mails, causing panic among judges and lawyers on Tuesday, police said. Following the bomb threat, the state administration hastily called a high-level meeting in State Secretariat. West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, in a press conference, said: "The security in the courts is the responsibility of the state government. There is no reason to panic."The State Chief Secretary, on Tuesday, appealed to the general public not to listen to rumours. At the same time, the West Bengal Cyber ​​Crime Branch has already started an investigation to find out who is behind this threatening e-mail."The judges will be provided with all kinds of protection. They will be hel...

Chennai, Feb 24 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday formally submitted a list of 72 Assembly constituencies to the AIADMK as part of seat-sharing discussions for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.According to sources, the BJP has expressed interest in directly contesting between 30 and 35 of these seats under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) arrangement.The list was handed over to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami by BJP State president Nainar Nagenthran and Union Minister and the party’s election in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Piyush Goyal, during a meeting held in Chennai.The AIADMK is a key constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu, with the alliance having been reaffirmed ahead of the 2026 Asse...

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday expressed concern over the state government’s failure to fill vacant government posts and warned the government not to take the protests by unemployed youth lightly.​He said the state government should not ignore the fact that a large number of job aspirants have taken to the streets in Dharwad. He said the youth have been forced to protest due to the government’s negligence in filling vacant posts on time.​He also extended support to the protesting youth, urging them to ensure their protest remains peaceful and assuring them that he stands with them.​Kumaraswamy said that 2.94 lakh government posts are currently vacant in the state, while only cabinet-rank posts are being filled at “super-fast” speed. This reflects the ...

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) The first round of negotiations for the proposed India-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA) began in New Delhi and will continue until February 26, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel on February 25-26, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on Tuesday. The ministry said the timing of the talks provides fresh momentum to deepen economic ties between the two countries.The Terms of Reference (ToR) for the agreement were signed in November 2025, creating a structured framework for discussions aimed at expanding trade and economic cooperation.The FTA is expected to provide greater certainty and predictability to businesses, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and help unlock new opportunities across sectors.Total merchandi...

Srinagar, Feb 24 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the expansion of the Civil Enclave at Srinagar airport, proposed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,677 crore. Manoj Sinha also hoped that the new terminal for the Jammu airport would be completed by the year's end.He said in a series of comments on X, “Jammu and Kashmir Skies Soar: dawn of a bold aviation era. I am grateful to Hon'ble PM Sh Narendra Modi Ji for the major expansion of Civil Enclave at Srinagar Int'l Airport.”“I vividly remember the announcement we made at Srinagar on 25th Sept 2021 in the presence of then Hon'ble Minister for @MoCA_GoI,” he stated.“CCEA's Rs 1,677 crore approval for a new ...

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) The negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) were formally launched here on Tuesday with the signing of a joint statement by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi."Amidst global uncertainties, it is most opportune that discussions are starting on negotiating a robust trading arrangement which would harness mutual synergies and complementarities," Goyal said.During the signing ceremony, the Commerce Minister emphasised that the statement, along with the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the FTA, which were signed on February 5, marked a significant milestone in the relationship between India and GCC countries. He underscored that the relationship, which...

Jaipur, Feb 24 (IANS) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is a party that works with the spirit of “Nation First,” where the nation comes before the party and the individual. ​Sharma was addressing the state-level workshop of the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Training Campaign 2026 at the BJP State Office in Jaipur.​The Chief Minister said that training is a continuous process in the BJP and forms the foundation of its ideological strength. Driven by a single ideology, the party has today grown into a giant banyan tree across the country. ​He said that a sense of responsibility among party workers leads to personality development, which in turn strengthens the process of nation-building. ​Recalling the party’s ideological roots, he said that the Bh...

Chandigarh, Feb 24 (IANS) Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said on Tuesday that the state government's sustained crackdown against narcotics is delivering concrete results, dismantling drug networks that once operated with impunity, adding that drug traffickers are also fleeing the state and establishing Haryana as the new base.He noted that as Punjab "strengthens enforcement and public participation against drugs, serious questions are arising about the growing menace in Haryana under the current Nayab Singh Saini government". Recalling that drugs proliferated across Punjab during the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government from 2007-2017, Minister Cheema said a similar pattern is now visible in Haryana. Referring to Haryana Police officer Sunil Sandhu, w...