STATE’S

New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) The air quality in the national capital showed a marginal improvement on Sunday morning, though pollution levels remained a concern across several parts of the city.According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 196 at 7 a.m., placing it in the ‘moderate’ category.This marked an improvement compared to Saturday, when the AQI was recorded at 227 at 4 p.m., falling in the ‘poor’ category. Despite a slight dip in pollution levels, a thin layer of smog continued to linger in many areas, indicating that overall air quality conditions are still far from ideal.Several pollution hotspots in the national capital continued to record ‘poor’ AQI levels. Mundka registered the highest AQI at 266, followed...

Chennai, Feb 8 (IANS) A massive security deployment is being planned in Karaikal, Puducherry, ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit on February 14, with nearly 500 police personnel set to be stationed across the region to ensure tight protection and crowd control during his public meeting. According to police sources, personnel from the Puducherry Police and allied security units will be deployed at key junctions, venues, and entry points.Security arrangements will be directly supervised by the Puducherry Deputy Inspector General of Police. Routine and street-level patrols are being intensified, while enhanced vehicle checks will be conducted along the Tamil Nadu-Karaikal border beginning Monday to prevent any untoward incidents.Amit Shah is expected to arrive by helicopter at Thi...

Bengaluru, Feb 8 (IANS) Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M.B. Patil has submitted representations to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking approval for a Vande Bharat Sleeper Express train from Bengaluru to Vijayapura, a high-speed rail corridor between Bengaluru and Mumbai, and a daily special train service on the Bengaluru-Vijayapura route.After launching an electronics manufacturing facility in the Hi-Tech Hardware Park at Bagalur on Saturday, the Minister met Vaishnaw at the venue and handed over the representations. The Railway Minister assured him that the proposals would be examined positively.Describing Bengaluru as the country’s technology capital and Mumbai as its financial capital, Patil said it was essential to connect the two cities through an efficient...

New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will address a major press conference on Sunday to reveal what he described as a wider political nexus involving Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi.Biswa Sarma mounted a sharp political offensive against the reported understanding between the Congress and Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal ahead of the Assembly elections, asserting that the Opposition alliance has no prospects in the state.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of newly constructed school buildings, earlier on Monday, Sarma said the proposed February 8 briefing would go beyond earlier allegations related to Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged “Pakistan link” and would place before the public what he termed as the “entire network” associated with it. He claimed that th...

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Congress party, accusing it of evolving into a "Jamaati Congress" through alliances with communal organisations, potentially endangering national unity and democratic values.Also, while addressing the media at the BJP headquarters here, Trivedi criticised the West Bengal government's budget for prioritising "Maulvis, Muezzins, and Madrasas" over the Trinamool Congress's own slogan of "Maa, Maati, Manush."He claimed this reflected the INDI alliance's relentless pursuit of appeasement politics, setting new lows in divisive strategies.Trivedi highlighted recent remarks by Congress leader and Kerala Assembly Opposition Leader VD Satheesan, who ...

Patna, Feb 7 (IANS) More than 70 schoolchildren fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal at an Upgraded Middle School in Karu Tola at Sahugarh under Madhepura Sadar block of Bihar on Saturday, triggering panic among teachers, parents and locals.According to initial reports, the children began falling sick one after another shortly after eating the meal.They complained of vomiting, stomach pain, dizziness, restlessness, and nervousness, leading to chaos on the school premises.The parents of students assembled at the school as soon as they learnt about the incident.All affected children were immediately rushed to Madhepura Sadar Hospital using ambulances and private vehicles.Doctors at the hospital confirmed that most of the children are stable and out of danger, though one girl remains i...

Chennai, Jan 1 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday asserted that assessing a state’s financial health solely on the basis of its total debt is fundamentally flawed, as such comparisons ignore broader economic realities.In a statement where he extended New Year greetings, Chidambaram said that rising public debt is a global phenomenon and should not be selectively used to criticise individual states like Tamil Nadu. Developed economies such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, and Canada continue to witness an annual increase in their overall public debt, he noted. "The same trend is visible in India as well. Both the country’s total debt and the combined debt of all states rise every year. This, by itself, is not ab...