INDIA

Bengaluru, July 8 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, and BJP Karnataka State President B.Y. Vijayendra on Tuesday condoled the demise of Padma Shri awardee Girish Bharadwaj, the renowned engineer popularly known as the "Bridge Man" and "Visvesvaraya of Sullia," describing his death as an irreparable loss to the state and to the cause of rural development.It is worth noting that M. Visvesvaraya (Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya) was one of India's greatest engineers and statesmen, renowned for his pioneering contributions to irrigation, flood control, and infrastructure development.In separate condolence messages, the leaders paid rich tributes to Bharadwaj's pioneering work in rural connectivity through the construction of suspension brid...

Jodhpur, July 7 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday said that Ram Katha serves as an important medium for taking India's cultural heritage, spiritual traditions, and moral values to the masses.He made the remarks during his visit to Jodhpur, where he attended a Shri Ram Katha programme organised on the occasion of the consecration ceremony of the Shri Ardhanarishwar Shiva Temple at Raghuvanshpuram Ashram in Kelava Khurd. Birla offered prayers at the event, sought blessings from the Vyas Peeth, and listened to the Ram Katha narrated by revered storyteller Murlidhar Maharaj.Addressing the gathering, Birla said India has a rich legacy of spirituality, yoga, Dharma, and cultural traditions. He noted that the teachings of sages and the country's spiritual practices have carried messa...

New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday arrested a top official of a company in case of money laundering linked to the UAE-based fugitive Inderjeet Singh wanted by Haryana Police in cases of fraud, cheating, illegal land grabbing and violent offences, an official said. The ED's Gurugram Zonal Office, arrested Rakesh Gupta, former Chief Financial Officer/President- Strategic Initiatives of Apollo Green Energy (earlier Apollo International) and a key managerial person of Apollo Group under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.They were arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation in connection with the case involving Inderjeet Singh and others, the ED said.The arrest was made after non-compliance to four summons and issuan...

Jaipur, July 7 (IANS) The Rajasthan School Education Department has directed officials across the state to take immediate action against unsafe school infrastructure, making it clear that there will be no compromise on student safety.Additional Chief Secretary (School Education) Rajesh Yadav has instructed all District Education Officers to ensure the demolition of school buildings declared dilapidated as a priority and to strictly prohibit classes from being conducted in such structures.Chairing a review meeting at the Education Complex auditorium on Tuesday, Yadav stressed that students must not be made to study either in unsafe buildings or in the open.He directed officials to make immediate alternative arrangements to ensure uninterrupted and safe education wherever school buildings ...

Mumbai, July 7 (IANS) Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday informed the Legislative Assembly that a fresh set of regulations will soon be introduced across the state to curb illegal minor mineral excavation.This is in addition to a slew of strategic measures, including a phased rollout of Electronic Total Station (ETS) surveys, drone surveillance, state-of-the-art monitoring systems and legal amendments. Replying to a calling attention motion tabled by MLA Sunil Prabhu, the minister stated that the government is fully committed to tackling the issue. Legislators Sudhir Mungantiwar, Arjun Khotkar, Raju Todsam, Raju Khare, Bhaskar Jadhav, and Pravin Datke also participated in the discussion.Referring to a controversial mining case in Virar, Palghar district, Mi...

Jaipur, July 7 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth around Rs 112.90 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with an alleged Rs 376 crore bank fraud involving M/s LEEL Electricals Limited (formerly Lloyd Electric and Engineering Limited), its main promoter Bharat Raj Punj, and others. According to the ED's Jaipur Zonal Office, the attached properties include land, industrial plots, residential properties, bank balances, fixed deposits, and mutual fund investments spread across Delhi, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and a residential property in Texas's Houston in the US. Investigators said that these assets were beneficiall...

Mumbai, July 7 (IANS) Maharashtra Public Health Minister Prakash Abitkar on Tuesday announced in the Legislative Council that a state-level task force will be established, committees will be reconstituted, decoy operations will be boosted, and monitoring will be made more effective through the active participation of public representatives to ensure the effective implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act.This is aimed at protecting the female child birth rate and curbing illegal sex determination.The announcement came during a short-duration discussion under Legislative Council Rule 97, initiated by member Neelam Gorhe, regarding the operational sex determination and abortion rackets despite the PCPNDT Act being in force in the state.Members Pr...

Mumbai, July 7 (IANS) Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik on Tuesday informed the Legislative Council that an in-depth investigation is underway into the wildlife poisoning incident in the Chaurakund forest range under the Sipna Wildlife Division of the Melghat Tiger Reserve in Amravati district. Extensive preventive measures are being implemented to avoid such occurrences in the future.The discussion was initiated through a calling-attention motion moved by member Milind Narvekar, with active participation from members Bachchu Kadu, Bhai Jagtap, Sunil Shinde, Sanjay Khodke, and Manisha Kayande.Naik stated that the Forest Department is taking necessary actions and measures to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Emphasis is being placed on tracking human movement in strictly restricted ...

Bhubaneswar, July 7 (IANS) The Standing Committee of the Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) on Tuesday resolved to strengthen inter-state coordination, expedite the resolution of pending issues, and ensure effective implementation of development programmes across the eastern region during its 15th meeting held in Bhubaneswar.The meeting was organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in association with the Odisha government. It was chaired by Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg as the host state. Senior officials from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, along with representatives of the Inter-State Council Secretariat, participated in the discussions.A total of 74 agenda items, including 12 pending issues from the previous meeting, 61 fresh proposals and...