INDIA

New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended greetings on 'Poila Boishakh', which marks the beginning of the Bengali New Year.PM Modi took to social media to wish the people and prayed for everyone's success."Greetings on Poila Boishakh! Best wishes on Poila Boishakh! I hope all your wishes are fulfilled in this year. I pray for everyone's success, happiness, prosperity and good health. Shubho Nabo Barsho!" he wrote on X.Poila Baisakh, also known as Pohela Boishakh, marks the beginning of the Bengali New Year. The day is celebrated with joy, cultural pride and enthusiasm by Bengalis worldwide.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in her greetings on the occasion, posted on her X handle that it is the 'Bangla Day' and prayed for strengthening the bonds o...

Chennai, April 15 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government has ordered the transfer of 1.4 crore tonnes of beach sand minerals, allegedly hoarded illegally by private companies, to the PSU Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL).This marks a significant step in enforcing accountability following years of controversy over illegal mining operations along the state’s southern coastline.An official directive issued by Additional Chief Secretary of the Natural Resources Department, K. Phanindra Reddy, on April 8, 2025, outlines the process.The transfer will encompass beach sand mineral stocks currently held across godowns, factories, stockyards, and mining sites in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Kanniyakumari districts.The handover will proceed once tentative pricing details — including transportation and securit...

Jammu, April 15 (IANS) Reinforcements were rushed on Tuesday to Lasana area of Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Poonch district, where a brief exchange of fire took place late on Monday evening between the security forces and terrorists.The Army’s White Knight corps said on X, “Op Lasana. Contact was established with #terrorists during a joint #operation with @JmuKmrPolice at #Lasana, #Surankote last night. Additional troops have been inducted, and search operations are ongoing to prevent the terrorists from escaping.”Three terrorists were killed last week during the three-day-long anti-terrorist operation in Kishtwar district.The security forces said the three slain Pakistani terrorists included a top commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit, Saifullah.A large cache of arms and ammunit...

Bhopal, April 15 (IANS) A rally to mark the birth anniversary of the father of the Indian Constitution Dr B.R. Ambedkar took a tragic turn late on Monday night in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district.What began as a dispute over music being played by a DJ escalated into a violent confrontation, leaving one young man dead and two others injured in Hingona Khurd area under Civil Lines Police station in Morena district.The altercation involved members of the Jatav and Gurjar communities, who are neighbours in the area.Members of the Jatav community were celebrating Ambedkar Jayanti with a rally and DJ music. However, their plans were disrupted when members of the Gurjar community objected to the loud music, citing a birthday celebration for a child in their household.What started as a disagreemen...

New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) A major fire broke out at Lokbandhu Hospital in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh late Monday night, prompting an emergency evacuation of over 200 patients to various other hospitals in the city. The fire reportedly started on the second floor of the building and spread quickly before patients and staff could fully comprehend the situation.One patient among the 24 shifted to Civil Hospital was reported dead, though the rest were said to be in stable condition, according to a Civil Hospital doctor.As soon as the incident was reported, multiple fire brigade units rushed to the hospital along with local police from the Krishna Nagar police station. The fire was brought under control after several hours of effort.The cause of the fire is initially suspected to be a short circui...

Raipur, April 14 (IANS) In another gruesome and deeply disturbing incident, a three-year-old girl child was allegedly “sexually assaulted” by his thirteen your old neighbour under the civil lines police station area of Raipur, Chhattisgarh.An official said that the child was later found in critical condition and immediately taken to a hospital by her family members to a hospital. “The child is three years old, but stable and under treatment. A medical report will confirm if the sexual assault was committed. The girl child was a neighbour of the accused, and their family belonged to the same community, and they were familiar with each other. The child is in hospital and under treatment,” Ajay Kumar, City Superintendent of Police, Civil Lines, Raipur, told IANS. “The accused – a thirteen-...

Patna, April 14 (IANS) In a tragic incident caused by extreme weather, three members of a family lost their lives due to a lightning strike on Monday at Shadipur village in Bihar's Arwal district.The victims -- Awadhesh Yadav (48), his wife Radhika Devi (45), and daughter Rinku Kumari (18) -- were struck while seeking shelter from a heavy hailstorm, lightning, and rain after returning from their agricultural field.According to eyewitnesses, the family had ventured into the field to collect harvested wheat just as the weather turned violent. Caught in the rain, they took shelter under a stack of straw, not knowing it would become a deadly trap.Moments later, a bolt of lightning struck, igniting the straw stack, and the family was engulfed in flames. Their painful screams echoed through the ...

Lucknow, April 14 (IANS) The Lucknow CAT (Central Administrative Tribunal) bench was established way back in 1987, but it got its own office building only now, after 38 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also the Minister in-charge of DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training), which is the administrative Ministry of CAT.In a thoughtful move to mark the Ambedkar Jayanti commemorating the memory of the father of the Indian Constitution, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday jointly inaugurated the Lucknow CAT building in the Gomti Nagar area of the city.The entire project at a cost of about Rs 25 crore was accomplished through Central funds by DoPT, of which the Minister in-charge is Dr Jitendra ...

Bhubaneswar, April 14 (IANS) Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Monday commended the state government for observing ‘Odia Pakhya’ 2025, a fortnight long celebration dedicated to the glory of the state's rich cultural heritage.While addressing the gathering at the concluding ceremony of Odia Pakhya here, Kambhampati termed the noble initiative by the state government to observe Odia Pakhya from Utkal Divas (April 1) to Odia New Year (April 14) as visionary.“This observance is not only timely but also deeply significant in nurturing and elevating the spirit of Odia Asmita, the unique identity, heritage and provide,” said the Odisha Governor.He said that Odisha stands as the proud symbol of India’s civilisational depth and diversity.The governor further added that the classical language...