TOP STORIES

Shimla, Oct 18 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday inaugurated Blocks 1 and 2 of Phase IV of the Armsdale Building at the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat, built at a cost of Rs 9 crore. On the occasion, the Chief Minister said that infrastructure expansion was essential alongside development. The Secretariat building had been expanded, and offices would be shifted to the new premises shortly. Replying to a media query, Chief Minister Sukhu said the number of postgraduate (PG) medical seats across the state's six government medical colleges had been increased from 277 to 597, marking a historic addition of 320 seats. He added that the number of PG seats at Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla has been increased from 139 to 230, an increase of 91 seats. A...

Imphal, Oct 18 (IANS) The Manipuri language will be included in Sansad Bhashini to facilitate real-time translation and transcription of parliamentary proceedings, officials said here on Sunday. An official said that the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, in a letter to Manipur BJP President and Rajya Sabha member Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi, informed her that the Manipuri language would be included in Sansad Bhashini for real-time translation and transcription of parliamentary proceedings.Sharda Devi had earlier urged Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan to include Manipuri in Sansad Bhashini to enable real-time translation and transcription of parliamentary proceedings.The letter stated that the Rajya Sabha Secretariat valued her suggestion and shared the objective of promotin...

New Delhi/Chandigarh, Oct 18 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday responded to Jammu and Kashmir counterpart Omar Abdullah over an alleged stone-pelting incident involving a Union Territory-bound registered bus travelling from Delhi to Srinagar, saying that the matter was promptly investigated and two accused persons had been arrested. The exchange followed Abdullah's repost on social media platform X of a report alleging that stones and bricks were hurled at a Kashmir-bound bus near Kurukshetra in Haryana in what was described as a suspected hate crime.Responding to Abdullah, CM Saini assured that the safety of every citizen and every person visiting Haryana remained the state government's top priority."The safety of every citizen and every person visiting the state i...

New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) On the occasion of the centenary year of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Rahul Kumar, Deputy Head of the city of Frankfurt in Germany and the first person of Indian origin to become an Asian City Parliament member, highly praised the organisation’s social work in connection with the book “Hundred Years Young: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh”. Asked about his experience with the RSS and which aspects of its work had influenced him the most in the context of the book, the German politician said, “The social work of the RSS is the most impactful thing, especially for the youth. Here in Germany, we do not have the RSS; we have the HSS, and it is working here in Europe and in Germany as well. Since I was a child, I have been watching their activities. They organise c...

Ahmedabad, Oct 18 (IANS) Customs officers at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in Ahmedabad have arrested two people after seizing 2.117 kg of suspected ganja from a passenger arriving from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, officials said on Sunday.The seizure was made on October 17 after the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Ahmedabad Customs intercepted the male passenger on the basis of passenger profiling.He had arrived on flight VJ-1805 from Ho Chi Minh City.During an examination of his baggage, officers found seven vacuum-sealed packets containing a suspected green-coloured substance concealed in a black hand bag.The total gross weight of the substance, including its packaging, was around 2,117 grams.Preliminary testing by a scientific officer from the Forensic Sci...

Pune, Oct 18 (IANS) The Southern Command of Indian Army showcased operational preparedness and combat effectiveness in the desert terrain in an integrated exercise, an official said on Sunday. "The #BattleAxeDivision and #BlackMaceBrigade unleashed their mechanised might across challenging desert terrain — sharpening battlefield manoeuvres, rehearsing combat roles and synchronising operations," the Southern Command said in a post on social media platform X."The #IntegratedOperations showcased speed, precision and seamless coordination among combat elements, reinforcing #OperationalPreparedness and combat effectiveness," it added.Earlier, the General Officer Commanding led discussions with officials of the Indian Coast Guard, Maharashtra Police Chief Sadanand Vasant Date and Maharashtra Hom...

Ahmedabad, Oct 18 (IANS) Gujarat’s 108 Emergency Medical Service has handled more than 1.99 crore emergency cases and helped save over 19.66 lakh lives since its launch in 2007, according to figures released by the state government up to August this year.The free ambulance service, launched on August 29, 2007, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was state Chief Minister, has completed 19 years and entered its 20th year.It provides emergency transportation and pre-hospital care to patients, including those involved in road accidents, suffering heart attacks or experiencing other critical medical conditions.Of the more than 1.99 crore cases handled during this period, over 1.96 crore were medical emergencies, more than 2.55 lakh were police-related emergencies and over 8,000 involved fir...

Narmada, Oct 18 (IANS) The Gujarat government on Sunday ordered strict action against a contractor after serious structural defects were detected in a bridge over the Karjan river in Narmada district, forcing authorities to suspend vehicular traffic over the structure.The Roads and Buildings Department has lodged an FIR at Rajpipla police station against Surat-based Royal Infra Engineering Private Limited, which was awarded the contract to construct the bridge on the Rajpipla-Ramgadh (Navagam) road.The action follows directions from Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who has also ordered departmental proceedings against officials and employees found responsible for construction deficiencies and negligence.The bridge was awarded to the company during 2018-19 at a tender cost of Rs 10.71 cror...

Bhubaneswar, Oct 18 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday called upon student leaders who emerged victorious in the recent campus polls held across colleges and universities in Odisha to play a key role in building a prosperous and developed state by countering negative propaganda by disruptive forces with positive messages.The Chief Minister made the call while attending a grand ceremony, ‘Young Leaders Conclave’, organised at the Kataka Indoor Stadium on Sunday. Majhi met the student leaders and congratulated the representatives who secured landslide victories in the students’ union elections held on October 15.Targeting the previous Biju Janata Dal-led state government, the CM wrote in a post on X following the event, “The previous government had kept the elections suspende...