INDIA

Thrissur, Aug 12 ( IANS) The Thrissur City Police, on Tuesday, initiated a probe into a complaint filed by senior Congress leaders against Union Minister and Member of Parliament Suresh Gopi, alleging illegal voter registration and criminal conspiracy. Thrissur City Police Commissioner, R. Ilango, confirmed that the complaint has been formally accepted and assigned to the Thrissur Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Salish N. Sankaran, for investigation.He added that legal opinion will also be sought before proceeding further.The complaint was lodged by T.N. Prathapan, member of the KPCC Political Affairs Committee, who alleged that Suresh Gopi unlawfully transferred his vote to Thrissur constituency just ahead of the recent Lok Sabha elections.Prathapan was the Thrissur Lok Sabha memb...

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) Tiranga Rallies were organised on Tuesday in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and several other parts of the country in the run-up to the 79th Independence Day celebrations.In the national Capital, the Delhi Traffic Police led a Tiranga Rally with schoolchildren to instil love for the nation and foster a connection between students and the police force. Participants marched with the Tricolour in hand, their enthusiasm reflecting the spirit of freedom.In Ramban, a Tiranga Rally was flagged off at 8 A.M. by Deputy Commissioner Mohd Alyas Khan. Nearly 1,000 people, including personnel from the CRPF’s 84 Battalion, the District Police, district administration, students, NGOs, and local residents, joined the march.The rally wound its way throu...

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) The Finance Ministry has issued a corrigendum to the Income Tax Bill, 2025, clarifying the interest applicable on short payment of advance tax. The amendment specifies a 3 per cent interest rate on such shortfalls, bringing the clause in line with provisions under the Income Tax Act, 1961.The amendment specifies a 3 per cent interest rate on such shortfalls, bringing the clause in line with provisions under the existing act.Under current rules, taxpayers with an annual tax liability of Rs 10,000 or more are required to pay advance tax in four instalments — on June 15, September 15, December 15, and March 15.If a shortfall in payment occurs, even by a single day beyond the quarterly due date, interest is levied for a minimum period of three months.The Income Tax Bil...

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested one of the Directors of a chit fund firm, Kolkata, West Bengal, against whom a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) was issued last month by the Special Judge (CBI) in the Tripura chit fund case, the probe agency said on Tuesday.The CBI on Monday arrested Partha Samaddar, one of the Directors of the accused chit fund firm M/s Himangini Infracon India Ltd, Kolkata, West Bengal, against whom an NBW was issued by Special Judge (CBI), West Tripura, Agartala on July 22 (2025) in the Tripura chit fund case. The accused was not appearing in the trial court during the course of the trial, a CBI statement said. The central probe agency registered the instant case on March 14, 2023. The accused was one of the directors of the a...

Bengaluru, Aug 12 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Karnataka Assembly and veteran BJP leader, R. Ashoka, said on Tuesday that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and Home Minister G. Parameshwara should take responsibility for their involvement in the recent Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stampede incident and a probe should be conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Speaking in the Assembly, LoP Ashoka said that if Siddaramaiah has any sensitivity regarding the incident, he should apologise to the people of the state."The Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister should take full responsibility for the stampede incident. Along with that, they should resign and a CBI investigation should be conducted in the matter," he adde...

Shimla, Aug 12 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday urged the youth to stay away from drugs and actively support efforts to make the state drug-free. He appealed to the youth to report drug traffickers to the police and assured them that the government is committed to rehabilitating those trapped in the drug menace.CM Sukhu assured strict action against drug mafias, including confiscation of their properties."Today's youth are the future of the nation, and the progress of Himachal Pradesh is directly linked to their well-being," said the Chief Minister on International Youth Day."The reforms we are implementing today will benefit the youth in the next five years, when they will proudly say they belong to the most prosperous state in the country," he said...

Lucknow, Aug 12 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to enhance the ambit of old-age pension for the senior citizens and has now set a target of providing a monthly pension to more than 67 lakh elderly, in the current financial year 20025-26.The pledge comes after the UP government disbursed old-age pensions for 61 lakh poor senior citizens in the first quarter.In the first quarter of the previous financial year, the Yogi government had met its goal of crediting Rs 1,000 pension directly into the bank accounts of 56 lakh elderly beneficiaries. This year, the Social Welfare Department set a new target of 61 lakh pensioners, which it accomplished. Now, the state government has raised the bar and seeks to cater to 67.50 lakh elderly.The Old Age Pension Scheme is a cornerstone of ...

Patna, Aug 12 (IANS) The Bihar Forest Department on Tuesday captured a tiger that had strayed from the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) into residential areas of Bagaha, killing a farmer a day earlier, and injuring a forest tracker.The operation, completed within 24 hours, involved sedating the big cat and transporting it safely for medical examination before its planned transfer to Patna Zoo.The tiger had attacked and killed farmer Mathura Mahato while he was working in his field in Nariya Sareh near Ghoraghaat Khairhani village, adjacent to the Govardhana forest area of VTR Forest Division-1.During the rescue mission, forest worker Vijay Oraon was injured in a tiger attack on Tuesday.VTR Forest Conservator-cum-Field Director Dr. Neshamani K said the tiger, estimated to be around 12 years ol...

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) In a huge relief to the public, the Supreme Court on Tuesday passed an interim order directing that no coercive action be taken against owners of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) — diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old — operating in Delhi-NCR.A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria was hearing a plea by the Delhi government seeking a review of the Supreme Court’s 2018 order that prohibited diesel vehicles over 10 years old and petrol vehicles over 15 years old, from plying in the national Capital and adjoining National Capital Region (NCR) areas.Issuing a notice on the Delhi government’s application, returnable within four weeks, the CJI Gavai-led Bench ordered that, in...

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday dismissed as “misleading” a report in The New York Times highlighting Opposition leaders’ allegation of voter list manipulation.In a fact-check issued to rebut the NYT news report with the headline “Hundreds of Indian Lawmakers Detained at a Protest Claiming Vote Rigging”, the ECI shared a social media post carrying links to videos related to the “Actual truth at field level” of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar.The videos carry testimonials of representatives of political parties, including the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Left.The poll panel dismissed as “incorrect” statements issued by agitating Opposition leaders over alleged "voter list manipulation".Sharing details of meetings h...