INDIA

Kolkata, June 9 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has constituted a special task force, inducting representatives from various state government departments and the Indian Railways to expedite pending railway projects in the state.Insiders from the state secretariat of Nabanna said that, headed by the West Bengal Chief Secretary, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, the task force includes senior bureaucrats from various government departments like Home, Transport, Land and Revenue.On the other hand, in the same task force, there will be representatives from Eastern Rail, South-Eastern Rail, Northeast Frontier Rail, Metro Rail and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL).The total number of members in the task force will be 20, an insider from the state secretariat said.The decision to form the tas...

Pune, June 9 (IANS) A major cyber fraud case involving more than Rs 4.43 crore has surfaced in Pune, where a retired IT professional was allegedly duped by fraudsters posing as investment experts on WhatsApp and Telegram.The accused reportedly lured the victim with promises of extraordinary returns through stock market investments and displayed fictitious profits worth over Rs 26 crore on a fake online trading platform before demanding additional payments in the name of service charges.According to the complaint, the victim, 46-year-old Ujjwal Digambar Chaudhary, is a resident of Roseland Residency in the Pimple Saudagar area of Pune and a retired IT professional. He had been actively investing in the stock market for nearly 15 years and, after returning to India in October 2025, contin...

Kolkata, June 9 (IANS) Amid tight security, Trinamool Congress leader from Falta in South 24 Parganas, Jahangir Khan alias ‘Pushpa’, was produced in the Diamond Harbour sub-divisional court on Tuesday, even as the local Bar Association decided that no lawyer would represent him. Heavy security arrangements were put in place in and around the court premises. A large number of police personnel and central forces were deployed to prevent any untoward incident. Multiple security cordons were set up, and strict checks were enforced at entry points.The administration remained on high alert since morning, with police keeping a close watch to ensure that no disruption or unrest occurred during the proceedings.According to officials, a case has been registered against Khan, a close associate of Tri...

Talking to IANS, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said the decision reflected the government's failure to sustain welfare support for citizens."What this means is that PM Modi first took over Congress-era schemes, under which we used to provide almost unlimited subsidies. Later, the number was reduced to around eight or nine cylinders, and then it was rebranded as the Ujjwala scheme. Now, however, this scheme should be called the 'Andhkaar Scheme'," he said.Dikshit argued that the government could have continued providing subsidies on at least six to nine cylinders annually.“The government often claims that the work done in the last 12 years surpasses what was achieved in 70 years. If previous governments could provide a 100 per cent subsidy on gas, how has it now been reduced to just three...

New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) The government e-marketplace (GeM) has given a major boost to inclusivity with the registration of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) on the platform surging from 2,396 in 2016–17 to over 11.9 lakh at present, according to a statement issued by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on Tuesday.Procurement from MSEs has grown from Rs 69 crore to more than Rs 8.69 lakh crore at present, while the number of orders has increased from 2,994 to over 2.17 crore during the same period.The platform has also enabled participation of traditionally under-represented groups. Women-owned MSEs on GeM have increased from 268 in 2016–17 to over 2.16 lakh, with procurement value rising from Rs 8 crore to more than Rs 93,327 crore.Besides, the participation of startups has grown from 88 ...

Visakhapatnam, June 9 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and state Minister Lokesh on Tuesday called on the workers who were injured in an accident at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.He visited KIMS Icon Hospital and called on the injured. He also interacted with their family members.The Deputy CM spoke to doctors and inquired about the condition of the injured. He assured the families of the victims that the government will bear the medical expenses and will support them in all ways.Later, talking to the media, Pawan Kalyan termed the accident, which claimed the lives of eight employees and left six others injured, as painful.He said that ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh each will be paid by the steel plant to the next of kin of the deceased, while Rs 10 lakh assistance will be pro...

New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday dismissed recent statements made by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders amid the growing turmoil within the party, describing the developments as a sign of frustration following political setbacks.Reacting to Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee’s remarks, Chowdhury said the demand and rhetoric surrounding fresh electoral contests were impractical and reflected political frustration.“There is no point in talking like a mad person. This cannot happen. This is not some local village or neighbourhood wrestling match where if someone loses once, they can fight again after half an hour. It is certainly a contest, but not a village wrestling match. Elections cannot be held across the country in this manner… This is an express...

Karur (Tamil Nadu), June 9 (IANS) A pregnant woman and her husband were among the three people killed while two others, including the couple's two-year-old girl, sustained serious injuries in a tragic road accident near Aravakurichi in Tamil Nadu's Karur district early on Tuesday, police said. The deceased were identified as V. Aravind, 30, his wife A. Janani, 28, who was eight months pregnant, and the car driver, P. Veera, 40.Aravind and Janani were residents of Karuthi Veeranpatti near Usilampatti in Madurai district, while Veera hailed from Nethaji Nagar in Usilampatti.The injured were the couple’s two-year-old daughter, A. Vaveera, and P. Pandithurai, 32, of Kalaivanar Street in Aravakurichi. Both were rushed to a hospital and are undergoing treatment.According to police, Aravind, Jana...

New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) Kerala CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member John Brittas has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the way the Delhi Police allegedly intimidated a young postgraduate student in Delhi on June 5.The journalist-turned-lawmaker highlighted the issue that was raised as a complaint by his senior party colleague and former MP Brinda Karat to the Delhi Police Commissioner regarding the alleged treatment meted out to Aahana Singh Kaith, daughter of Daleep Singh Kaith.According to Karat, Aahana Singh was allegedly intercepted by personnel from the New Rajinder Nagar Police Station on June 5 while she was at a gym in New Delhi.Then she was taken to another place, and the police started questioning her about her political links, her friends and acquaintances.Later she was asked...

New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) In 1967, a peasant uprising in West Bengal's Naxalbari village gave rise to a far-left movement in India. What began as a movement claiming to protect the land rights of rural communities, resist tribal exploitation, and address governance gaps gradually evolved into a violent movement sustained by extortion and intimidation. For years, it was projected as a people's movement, drawing support from sections of the local population and sympathisers who viewed it as a struggle against social and economic injustice.Later, the Naxalite movement spread across parts of West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. Alongside its expansion, reports of violence, coercion and attacks on civilians and security personnel became common. An official said that while the red r...