New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) As many as 1.38 lakh students are currently studying in 479 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for tribal students functioning across the country, the Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram, in a reply, said that in addition to the 288 EMRSs sanctioned under Article 275(1), 440 more EMRSs have been proposed across the country, bringing the total number of approved EMRSs to 728, out of which 479 are reported to be functional as on Ju…

Kolkata, Aug 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to inaugurate three new metro services in Kolkata on Friday and take a metro ride from Jessore Road Metro station to Jai Hind Bimanbandar (Airport) Metro station. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to attend a government programme in this regard, along with a public meeting in Dum Dum Central Jail Ground.Taking to his X account, PM Modi on Thursday said, “It is always a delight to be among the people of Kolkata, a city whose develo…

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has raised a total amount of Rs 1,42,758 crore through different modes of asset monetisation up to FY 2024-25 and the target for the current financial year has been fixed at Rs 30,000 crore, Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari informed the Parliament on Thursday.Gadkari said that the government monetises highway assets through three modes – Toll Operate & Transfer (ToT), Infrastructure Investment Tru…

Bhubaneswar, Aug 21 (IANS) The fourth session of the 17th Odisha Assembly is scheduled to begin from September 18. As per an official notification issued on Thursday, this monsoon session, which concludes on September 25, will have seven working days.Speaking to media persons, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling said that, as per the decision of the business advisory committee, some important bills are likely to be tabled during the upcoming session.“We hope a fruitful discussion wi…

Moscow, Aug 21 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Thursday said that India’s oil purchase from the US has been consistently increasing, as the August 27 deadline set by the Donald Trump administration to impose additional 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian energy inches closer. During a press briefing here, EAM Jaishankar said that India is not the biggest purchaser of Russian oil.”That is China. We are not the biggest purchasers of LNG; that is the European Uni…

Ranchi, Aug 21 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly and BJP state president Babulal Marandi has raised serious questions over the ongoing investigation into the alleged multi-crore liquor scam, accusing the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of deliberately delaying the probe to shield influential people.In a letter to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Marandi alleged that the ACB’s lax approach has allowed key accused to secure bail one after another. He demanded tha…

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) Wayanad MP and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Thursday to seek early implementation of health projects in her constituency and renewed the demand for starting an AIIMS in Kerala. Taking to X to share details of the interaction, she said, “He was kind enough to hear out all our demands and hold a frank discussion with us. I sincerely hope that these pressing issues will be given due consideration.”Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a…

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) Former Law Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday trained his guns on the Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar and stated that lapses in the preparation of the voter list is a threat to democracy.“The way the voter list is being prepared in Bihar, the way names of lakhs of electors are being deleted, the way no addition is being allowed, the way Block Level Officers (BLOs) are functioning and the way enum…

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 21 (IANS) Businessman Mohammed Shershad, on Thursday, claimed that he has received a lawyer’s notice from Kerala CPI-M Secretary M.V. Govindan in connection with the ongoing letter leak controversy. Shershad said the allegations raised in the notice are “baseless” and reiterated through a Facebook post that it was Govindan’s son who leaked the letter.”I have never accused the CPI-M or the party’s state secretary. My allegation was specifically about the relationship betwe…

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Sub-area Manager of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), Rampur in Jharsuguda district, Odisha, along with a private individual, in connection with a bribery case involving a departmental enquiry, officials said on Thursday. According to the agency, the accused official, posted at the Hirakud Bundia Mines under Rampur Sub-area, had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a complainant through the private person …