INDIA

New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has assured a renewed push by the Centre to accelerate Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) in the Northeast, following a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya in the national capital on Wednesday.Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met Sitharaman to discuss issues concerning EAPs in their respective states and ways to increase capital expenditure and create new avenues for infrastructure development in the region. Sangma, in a post on X, said the meeting focused on matters related to externally aided projects and thanked the Union Finance Minister for her continued support for the aspirations of Meghalaya and the Northeast. Sarma said the discussions were a...

Colombo, Sep 9 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday handed over spares and equipment to Sri Lanka during a deck reception organised onboard INS Udaygiri at the Colombo port here."Attended the deck reception organised onboard INS Udaygiri at Colombo port during my visit to Sri Lanka. Was also joined by the Deputy Minister of Defence and other senior government officials of Sri Lanka. During the event, handed over Spares for Indra MK 2 –Radar for the Sri Lankan Air Force, Spares for the SLN Ship Sayura and Inflatable targets to the Sri Lankan officials. This equipment will help in further boosting the capability and capacity of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces," the Defence Minister said on social media platform X.He added that the INS Udayagiri was among the first responders during...

Hyderabad, Sep 9 (IANS) The Telangana government on Wednesday ordered a comprehensive probe into the incidents that occurred at the entrance to the State Assembly on Monday, including the alleged abusive remarks made against the Assembly Speaker and the clash of BRS MLAs with police.Making the announcement in the Assembly, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said the series of incidents was part of a conspiracy hatched by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).The Chief Minister affirmed that stringent action would be taken in accordance with law against not only the conspirators but also those who were complicit in the conspiracy. He said the government resolved to investigate and punish anyone—regardless of their stature—under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Criminal cases would be fil...

New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Wednesday said it conducted six significant operations at different locations across the country in last 10 days, resulting in the seizure of a two leopard pelts, 180 live Indian Star Tortoises, 12 live Tokay Geckos, around 24 kg Pangolin Scales and 500 grams Tiger bones.Thirteen persons were arrested across these six operations.DRI officers intercepted a person in Jeypore, Koraput district, Odisha, and recovered one leopard pelt from his possession. The leopard pelt and the apprehended person were handed over to the State Forest Department, Koraput, for further investigation and legal action under the Act.In another operation on the same day, officers intercepted a person near Gandhinagar, Bengaluru and examination ...

Kathmandu, Sep 9 (IANS) Relief and rescue items, including materials for tunnel rescue and forensic supplies, sent by India were handed over to Mahabir Pun, Nepal's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, on Wednesday."The 8th Indian flight with relief and rescue items, including materials for tunnel rescue and forensic supplies, reached Kathmandu and were handed over to the Nepal's Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Mahabir Pun," Ambassador of India to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, said on social media platform X.India has expedited the delivery of relief supplies, equipment and expert personnel to Nepal through eight special flights since August 26."India continues to provide humanitarian assistance to Nepal in support of ongoing rescue and relief operations in the wake ...

Mumbai, Sep 9 (IANS) The Bombay High Court on Wednesday raised sharp questions over the non-inclusion of Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister late Ajit Pawar, as an accused in a high-profile government land deal case in Pune, despite his alleged connection to the purchasing firm. During a hearing, Justice Madhav Jamdar noted that M/s. Almeida Enterprises LLP acquired 40 acres of government land in Pune's Mundhwa area at a price significantly below its market value.Investigation records revealed that the firm had two directors: Parth Pawar and Digvijay Patil. However, the state police chose to charge only Digvijay Patil, omitting Parth Pawar from the list of accused.In an order released this September, Justice Jamdar highlighted allegations that Parth Pawar was spared fr...

Chandigarh, Sep 9 (IANS) Punjab Industries and Commerce Minister Aman Arora on Wednesday invited UAE investors and global businesses to invest in the state’s new Industrial and Business Development Policy of 2026 with fast-track approvals and complete handholding through a single-window platform, Invest Punjab.Addressing investors and business leaders during the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) in Dubai, Arora said Punjab “offers a unique blend of robust industrial infrastructure, skilled manpower, vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, agricultural strength, strategic connectivity and a large consumer market, making it an ideal destination for the UAE and global investors”.Inviting UAE-based investors, global businesses and the Punjabi diaspora to partner in Punjab’s next phase of industria...

Mumbai, Sep 9 (IANS) In a major initiative aimed at balancing rapid industrial development with environmental conservation, the Maharashtra Forest Department has established a comprehensive district-wise Land Bank to streamline land allocation for compensatory afforestation.Conceptualised by Forest Minister Ganesh Naik under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "Viksit Bharat" vision.The decision addresses long-standing bureaucratic delays in obtaining forest clearances under the Forest (Conservation and Development) Act, 1980. Currently, the state requires compensatory afforestation on an average of 2,000 to 3,000 hectares of degraded forest land and 1,000 to 2,000 hectares of non-forest land annually. Identifying...

Gandhinagar, Sep 9 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi and all 182 MLAs came together at the Secretariat Complex in Gandhinagar on Wednesday to participate in a tree plantation drive under the third phase of the nationwide ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign.The plantation programme was organised as part of ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 3.0’, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote environmental conservation and increase green cover.Gujarat had launched the state’s third-phase campaign in June this year.Deputy Speaker Purnesh Modi, Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia and other members of the Council of Ministers also participated in the drive, with legislators planting trees within the Legislative...

Kolkata, Sep 9 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI), which had already consented to meet a five-member delegation of the "rebel but majority" faction in Trinamool Congress led by the party's expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee on September 12, had now also given the consent to meet the "original but minority" faction of the party led by the former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the same venue in New Delhi on the same day. While the time fixed for the meeting with the Ritabrata-led faction is 11 a.m. on September 12, the time allotted for the Mamata Banerjee-led faction is 12 noon on the same day.The venue of the meeting with both the factions of Trinamool Congress is India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIDEM) in New Delhi.Although ...