INDIA

Rishikesh, May 19 (IANS) Three coaches of the Ujjain Express derailed in the Khand Gaon area near the Yog Nagari Railway Station in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh. There were no passengers on board at the time of the incident, officials said on Tuesday.The incident occurred on Monday at around 9:30 p.m.Restoration work is currently underway at the site of the incident.According to the initial investigation, the train derailed during shunting operations. Three coaches of the train derailed.Upon receiving the information, a police team from the local Kotwali station also arrived at the site. Repair work continued late into the night. Kailash Chandra Bhatt, the Inspector-in-Charge of the Kotwali station, stated that the incident occurred during maintenance hours, when no passenger was on board.Lo...

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the 26th meeting of the Central Zonal Council in Bastar on Tuesday, marking a significant moment for regional governance and development in central India. The high-profile meeting, being held in the historic Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, is also being seen as a reflection of the successful restoration of peace and stability in an area once heavily affected.The event will see the convergence of the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the host state of Chhattisgarh, making it a critical forum for inter-state cooperation and federal dialogue.In anticipation of this significant event, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai chaired a comprehensive high-level review meeting to assess the ongoing...

Satna, May 19 (IANS) At least one person was reported dead and several others injured after a boiler explosion triggered a massive fire at the Vidyashree Solvent Plant in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district late on Monday.Upon receiving information, officials from the district administration and local police, including SDM Rahul Siladia and CSP Devendra Singh, reached the spot and monitored the situation.Confirming the incident, a police official said the exact cause of the boiler explosion would be known only after a technical inquiry.He added that experts would examine maintenance records, operating pressure, and whether standard safety protocols were followed.Safety compliance and plant licensing will also be examined as part of the investigation, including factory permits, boiler certifi...

Dhar, May 19 (IANS) In a major anti-corruption drive, the Lokayukta Police in Indore arrested Pradeep Kumar Khare, District Project Coordinator of the District Education Centre in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh.The arrest took place on Monday and has sent shockwaves through the region's education department.According to Lokayukta officials, the bribe was allegedly demanded by Khare from a subordinate engineer in connection with the construction of toilets in government schools under the Central government’s flagship ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’.A total of approximately Rs 3.42 crore had been sanctioned for the construction of 122 toilets across various government school premises in Dhar district.The complainant, Dilip Sadhav, who i...

Greater Noida, May 19 (IANS) In a tragic incident that has once again highlighted the persistent issue of dowry harassment, a 24-year-old woman named Deepika died after allegedly jumping from the roof of her in-laws' house in Jalpura village under the Ecotech-3 police station area of Greater Noida.Following her death, the woman's husband, Hrithik, and father-in-law, Manoj, were arrested by the city police on Monday.Both father and son were produced before the Surajpur Court and have been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.The marriage between Deepika, daughter of Sanjay from Kudi Khera village under the Badalpur police station area, and Hrithik, son of Manoj from Jalpura village, was held with great pomp and grandeur around 14 months ago.According to the deceased's family, nearly on...

Bhubaneswar, May 18 (IANS) The ruling BJP National President, Nitin Nabin, on Monday advised ministers in the BJP-led state government to ensure that the government’s people-centric initiatives, achievements, and developmental works are effectively communicated to the public through party workers.During his maiden visit to the state after assuming charge as BJP national president, Nabin held a series of meetings on Monday with party leaders, office-bearers, BJP MLAs, MPs, state ministers, and party workers.During the meeting with party MPs, MLAs, and senior leaders, Nabin held detailed discussions on strengthening the party organisation, ways legislators and MPs could continue serving the people effectively, and how they could sustain a long innings in electoral politics.Speaking after t...

Mumbai, May 18 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the state government was focusing on the effective implementation of various Central and state government schemes to provide quality and accessible healthcare services to citizens across Maharashtra.He directed all departments to work in coordination and complete the construction of Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Critical Care Blocks and laboratories within the stipulated timeframe to make the state’s healthcare system more effective, qualitative and citizen-centric.The Chief Minister’s War Room has been set up to monitor social sector schemes. Under this mechanism, CM Fadnavis reviewed various health department schemes of the Central and state governments.A detailed review was conducted of pending w...

New Delhi/Itanagar, May 18 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt Gen K.T. Parnaik (Retd) and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Monday discussed national security issues with special focus on Arunachal Pradesh, officials said.A Lok Bhavan official in Itanagar said the Arunachal Pradesh Governor called on Chief of Defence Staff General Chauhan in New Delhi on Monday.“They discussed national security issues with special focus on Arunachal Pradesh, including border security, the Vibrant Village Programme and implementation of goodwill projects in frontier areas,” the official said.Drawing from his recent visits to remote border areas of Arunachal Pradesh, the Governor shared his observations on the prevailing security situation and the level of preparedness along the international ...

Pune, May 18 (IANS) In a significant joint operation, police authorities in Pune have apprehended two Bangladeshi women and a juvenile while they were attempting to escape to Guwahati in Assam. The arrests were made at the Pune Airport as part of an intensified crackdown on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants residing in the city. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, teams from the Khadak Police Station, Vimannagar Police Station, and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) collaborated to intercept the trio. The operation tool place after Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar issued strict directives to all police stations to take decisive action against foreign nationals staying illegally within city limits.Deputy Commissioner of Police Krushikesh Ravale, Zone 1, received a credible ...

Kolkata, May 18 (IANS) The West Bengal government on Monday gave formal permission to the ED to prosecute former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, who has been tainted in both the R.G. Kar financial irregularities case as well as the rape and murder of a junior doctor of the same hospital in August 2024.The announcement was made by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari by sharing the order granting formal permission to the ED on his social media handle.However, since the ED is conducting the probe into the R.G. Kar financial irregularities case, the formal permission granted by the state government to prosecute and convict Sandip Ghosh is limited to that case.The Central Bureau of Investigation is conducting a parallel probe into the R.G. Kar financial irregular...