INDIA

Mumbai, Feb 21 (IANS) Energy Department Additional Chief Secretary Abha Shukla on Thursday said that due to economic progress, the electricity requirement of Maharashtra by 2030 will be more than that of developed countries like Germany, Spain and Italy in Europe. “Under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the state's energy transformation plan has been prepared with an investment of Rs 3.3 lakh crore and Maharashtra is ready to meet future challenges,” said Shukla who was speaking while inaugurating a one-day seminar on solarisation of the agricultural sector in Maharashtra organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Lokesh Chandra, Chairman and Managing Director of Mahavitaran and Sujata Gupta, Director of Energy, ADB were present on the occasion. Shukla said that in...

Ahmedabad, Feb 20 (IANS) Chhota Udepur, located at the Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh borders, has become a key route for bootleggers smuggling liquor into Gujarat. In response, the district police have intensified operations, intercepting multiple consignments. In the latest crackdown, the Chhota Udepur crime branch, during a routine patrol, received intelligence about a Tata mini truck carrying illicit Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) concealed under rice sacks. The police set up a checkpoint near Rangpur Naka and intercepted the truck, bearing registration number GJ-09-Y-5307. Upon thorough inspection, they discovered liquor worth Rs 13.77 lakh hidden beneath the rice bags. The total seized material, including the vehicle, amounted to Rs 20.83 lakh. A case has been registere...

lMumbai, Feb 20 (IANS) Maharashtra food and civil supply minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde on Thursday said he is suffering from Bell’s palsy which is neurological disorder that causes temporary weakness or paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face. It's the most common type of facial paralysis.In his post on X, Munde said: “I had surgery on both my eyes fifteen days ago. The surgery was done under the guidance of Dr TP Lahane. For about ten days, he advised me to take care of my eyes, especially from strong light, dust and sun. Meanwhile, I was diagnosed with a disease called Bell's palsy. The treatment for it is currently underway under the guidance of the famous Dr Arun Shah of Reliance Hospital. Due to this disease, I am currently unable to speak properly for even two minu...

Kochi, Feb 20 (IANS) In what’s believed to be a family suicide, the bodies of three people were found at the official customs quarters in Kochi on Thursday night. The dead have been identified as Manish Agarwal an IRS official from Jharkhand, his sister Shalini and their aged mother Shakunthala.Manish belongs to the 2011 IRS batch and was a top official at the GST Commissioner's office here.His sister Shalini has been staying with her brother and mother for the past few months.While the body of the brother and sister was found hanging, the body of the mother was spotted lying on her bed.Manish was a silent person and for the past decade, he has been working in Kerala at various offices of the Customs and GST and came to his present job at Kochi recently.Meanwhile, there are reports that S...

Patna, Feb 20 (IANS) The State Vigilance Bureau (SVB) of Bihar arrested Ashish Kumar, a revenue official at the Khaira block office in Jamui district, for accepting a bribe of Rs 60,000 on Thursday. The arrest followed a complaint by Surendra Singh, a resident of Shringarpur, who alleged that Kumar demanded money to resolve a land dispute.Acting on the complaint, the SVB set up a trap and apprehended Kumar at the Panchayat Bhawan in Khaira block.This marks the fifth such operation by the vigilance bureau to apprehend corrupt government officials this year. The accused was brought to Patna for further action. He is booked under the relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sahita (BNS) act in Patna’s vigilance police station. He will be produced in the special court for further inquiry.Earlie...

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday interacted with the key leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta which was held at the national capital's Ramlila Maidan.Taking to X, the Prime Minister shared a photograph and wrote: "Had a great interaction with NDA allies earlier this afternoon."Earlier in the day, a meeting of Chief Ministers of the NDA-ruled states was also held, hours after Rekha Gupta took oath as the new chief minister of Delhi.The meeting was attended by the CMs of BJP-ruled states and those ruled by key constituents of the NDA alliance -- TDP and JD-U.TDP President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu attended the meeting. However, Bihar CM N...

Hubballi, Feb 20 (IANS) Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi has demanded that the Congress party must respond to the statement made by the U.S. President, who revealed that a donation of $21 million was previously sent to bring a different government in India. Speaking to the media in Hubballi on Thursday, Joshi said: "The truth that an attempt was made to influence India's electoral process has now been exposed by the U.S. President himself. The media has reported on it. Reports suggest that during a previous administration in the U.S., a $21 million donation was channelled into India through a U.S.-based organisation. Congress must now answer for this," he said.“Who in India was receiving such a massive amount in the form of donations? Which f...

Hyderabad, Feb 20 (IANS) More than 50 students of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) in Jadcherla suffered food poisoning after having their meals on campus on Thursday. The students exhibited symptoms of nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and fever after having their meal.Students alleged that the management of NMIMS tried to cover up the incident by treating affected students on the premises instead of shifting them to the hospital.Private doctors treated the students on the floors of the college’s library and common rooms.On learning about the incident, Jadcherla MLA P. Anirudh Reddy rushed to the institute and took the administration to task. He expressed shock over the way the students were being treated on the floor of the premises.Questioning the qualifications of t...

Bengaluru, Feb 20 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday said that the state government would take necessary steps to implement the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) after studying the report of a committee looking into it. Speaking at the conference of office bearers of the State Government Employees Association, he said: “A committee has been formed under the leadership of Anjum Parvez on implementation of OPS. Our government will take the necessary steps to implement it after studying the report. Our Party had given an assurance on the implementation of OPS in our manifesto and we are committed to it. We will do it but it requires time and patience.”He added that it is the government employees who pull the chariot of the government. “The government employees’ associa...

Imphal, Feb 20 (IANS) In a series of joint intelligence-based operations in Manipur’s six districts, the Army, the Assam Rifles and Manipur Police apprehended 16 militants of different outfits and recovered 23 weapons and ammunition from them in the hill and valley areas in Manipur, officials said on Thursday. A Defence spokesman said that the intensive joint operations were conducted in Imphal West, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Tengnoupal, Jiribam and Kakching districts on Wednesday and Thursday and recovered 23 arms and many ammunition in these districts comprising hills and valleys. He said that the Army and Assam Rifles formations under Spear Corps on receipt of information of the presence of cadres at Phadinga areas in Imphal West district and at Bhumpa Khulen areas in Thoubal district launc...