INDIA

Bengaluru, July 7 (IANS) Amid the controversy surrounding the exercise, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka, on Tuesday said that 77.18 per cent of the Enumeration Forms (EFs) have been distributed as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state's electoral rolls.According to the CEO's daily press release issued in the evening, Karnataka has a total of 5,54,32,314 electors in the electoral roll as of June 16, 2026. Enumeration Forms have been printed and distributed to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for the house-to-house verification exercise.The house-to-house enumeration and digitisation of Enumeration Forms are being carried out simultaneously from June 30 to July 29.The Election Department said that 4,27,82,130 Enumeration Forms, accounting for 77.18 per c...

New Delhi/Mumbai, July 7 (IANS) Amid political buzz over the NCP (SP) aligning with the ruling alliance, especially after the meeting between BJP MP Vinod Tawde and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday clarified that no new party will be joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or the state's Mahayuti alliance at present.He further said the government has no intention of breaking any party for expansion or the upcoming elections. He added that the current Mahayuti alliance is strong, and they will move forward together in the future, and there is no attempt on their part to split MLAs or MPs from Sharad Pawar's party.The clarification came on the sidelines of a high-level meeting in New Delhi, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on project...

Guwahati, July 7 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday asserted that the transformation of the state's government schools is now visible across Assam, highlighting major improvements in basic infrastructure and digital learning facilities.In a post on social media platform X, the chief minister said the state government is now focusing on bridging the remaining infrastructure gaps to achieve complete saturation across all government schools.He wrote that facts matter, and the transformation of Assam's schools is already visible across the state. With almost every school now equipped with essential infrastructure, they are zeroing in on the remaining gaps to reach 100 per cent saturation.Sharing an infographic titled "Transformed Schools, Viksit Assam", Sarma highligh...

Bhubaneswar, July 7 (IANS) Ahead of the world-famous Puri Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra scheduled to be held on July 16, Odisha Police on Tuesday held a high-level coordination meeting and finalised a comprehensive multi-layered security plan involving Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), the Indian Coast Guard, and other security agencies to ensure the annual sacred festival is held peacefully and without any security lapses.The meeting, chaired by Director General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur Khurania at the State Police Headquarters in Cuttack, was attended by senior officers of the Odisha Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Railway Protection Force (RPF), Indian Coast Guard and other security agencies.The DGP reviewed t...

Jabalpur, July 7 (IANS) A major tragedy was averted in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur on Tuesday evening when an old commercial building collapsed in the Bada Fuhara area amid heavy rain, with authorities attributing the absence of casualties to timely identification of the unsafe structure and its prior evacuation.The collapse of the five-storey building in one of the city's busy market areas triggered panic, but the administration's preparedness ensured that no person was trapped under the debris.Local BJP MP Ashish Dubey, who visited the spot, said the incident underlined the importance of identifying and removing risks posed by old structures, especially during the monsoon season.He said it is fortunate that no casualties occurred, and that the district administration had identified this ...

Ahmedabad, July 7 (IANS) The local administration has stepped up preparations for the 149th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra, with civic officials, police, temple representatives and community leaders finalising plans to ensure the annual procession is conducted peacefully, safely and with minimal disruption on July 16.A meeting of the City Unity Committee, chaired by Mayor Hitesh Barot at the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) headquarters in the Danapith area on Tuesday, reviewed arrangements for the procession and focused on strengthening coordination among civic departments, police and other agencies.Officials discussed measures to maintain law and order, communal harmony and smooth movement of the procession along its route.Responsibilities of the AMC and the police, along with suggesti...

Chandigarh, July 7 (IANS) Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Tuesday said that the government has put in place a monitoring and response mechanism to ensure the safety of human lives, agricultural land and public infrastructure during monsoon.Chairing a high-level review meeting of the Water Resources Department here to assess the state’s flood preparedness and monsoon management, he undertook a review of flood protection and drainage management works, including drain cleaning, boulder stone and hybrid protection works, raising and strengthening of embankments, operation of flood control gates and other flood mitigation measures at vulnerable locations.Goyal directed officers to keep all critical flood-prone sites under constant surveillance and ensure continuous mo...

Mumbai, July 7 (IANS) The old cumbersome rules regarding stamp duty on bank guarantees used in commercial transactions, government contracts, and infrastructure projects in the state have been changed. Stamp duty on bank guarantees will now be charged under a separate, independent category.This was done through an amendment to the Maharashtra Stamp Act (1958). The bill, which was presented in the state assembly by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday, was unanimously passed.Previously, there was no separate category prescribed in Schedule-I of the Act for bank guarantees and financial guarantees. As a result, full stamp duty was levied on such instruments under Article 54 as 'security bonds'.Most importantly, whenever these guarantees were renewed or their validity period...

Mumbai, July 7 (IANS) Amid rising complaints about private coaching classes, School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse on Tuesday announced in the Legislative Council that the government will bring a law to regulate them in the state.He informed that the draft of the bill is under preparation and that, after approval from the Law and Judiciary Department, it will be made public for suggestions, and the bill will be presented in the state legislature during the upcoming winter session.Shiv Sena legislators Krupal Tumane and Manisha Kayande, through a calling attention motion, raised the issue of exploitation of students and parents by private coaching classes, including the use of misleading advertisements about success stories and results to lure students and parents. Other legislators, inc...

Gandhinagar, July 7 (IANS) With forecasts indicating the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of Gujarat over the coming days, the state government on Tuesday reviewed its monsoon preparedness at a high-level meeting of the Weather Watch Group, with officials assessing emergency response plans and inter-departmental coordination to minimise the impact of any weather-related incidents.The meeting was held at the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) in Gandhinagar under the chairmanship of Relief Commissioner Subhash Savaliya.It focused on the state's preparedness to deal with potential monsoon-related emergencies, with the administration reiterating its objective of achieving "zero casualties" during the rainy season.Savaliya directed all departments to maintain close c...