Fee hikes: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta vows to foil profit-making designs of schools

By

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Hailing the policy decisions taken on school fee fixation, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Thursday the government would foil all profit-making designs of unscrupulous institutions which indulge in unfair fee hikes.Talking to reporters after interacting with parents on Assembly premises, CM Gupta said, “For the first time, a Delhi government since 1973 is standing firmly with parents and there is no behind-the-scenes manipulation on the fee issue.”She said he…

Despite BJP mocking LoP Gandhi, he was proven right repeatedly: K'taka CM

By

Bengaluru, Aug 7 (IANS) Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s move to impose 50 per cent tariff on India, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated on Thursday that despite the BJP mocking him, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, was proven right again and again.Taking to social media platform X, CM Siddaramaiah stated, “I fully agree with LoP Rahul Gandhi. Be it GST, demonetisation, Chinese aggression, or COVID failures, farm laws, Rafale, PM CARES, and elec…

Bihar voter list: BJP slams Rahul Gandhi for crying foul without evidence

By

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s fresh allegation of a fraud by the Election Commission in Bihar invited a sharp response on Thursday from BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya who accused him of crying foul without evidence and dismissed the Opposition agitation as “political optics”. BJP leader Malviya said that the protests were not in consonance with the fact that Opposition parties had failed to find even a single infirmity in the Bihar draft voter list that needs filing of a…

Data, traffic accumulated by Musk's Starlink will be stored in India: Minister

By

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) The data, traffic and other details accumulated by Elon Musk’s Starlink will be stored in India, and the domestic user traffic is not to be mirrored to any system/server located abroad, the Parliament was informed on Thursday.The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has granted a Unified License (UL) to Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited after agreeing to the stipulated terms and conditions of the UL, including security conditions.The satellite company is…

Bengal’s DA crisis: Questions over differential rates for state govt employees

By

Kolkata, Aug 7 (IANS) As the Supreme Court hears the case on whether West Bengal government employees should receive dearness allowance (DA) at par with their central government counterparts, a fresh controversy has surfaced over the existence of two separate DA rates for employees of the same state government.The first category includes those West Bengal government employees who are posted in other states on behalf of the state government. This category receives dearness allowance at par with t…

Bringing a 17th-century garden to life: How ‘Hortus Malabaricus’ blooms again in modern Kerala

By

Thrissur (Kerala), Aug 7 (IANS) Nestled in the lush green expanse of Nedumpura in Kerala’s Thrissur district lies a remarkable garden where centuries-old knowledge meets modern conservation.The Hortus Malabaricus Botanical Garden and Research Institute is not just a haven for biodiversity; it is a living tribute to a historic botanical treatise that once changed the way the world understood plants.Opened in January this year after a decade-long work for its development, it’s spread over 27 a…

If US goes ahead with this, India should also impose 50 pc: Tharoor on Trump's tariff threat

By

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday strongly advocated for a reciprocal tariff regime in response to US President Donald Trump’s recent threat of imposing steep import duties on Indian goods, suggesting that New Delhi should consider a 50 per cent tariff on American imports if diplomatic negotiations with Washington fail to yield results.Trump was singling out India, even though countries like China and Turkey continue to import oil from Russia.India officially describ…

Telangana CM, ministers wait for audience with President over BC reservation issue

By

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) Telangana Congress leaders led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy continued to camp in New Delhi for the third day on Thursday, demanding Presidential assent for the two Bills passed by the state legislature for 42 per cent reservation for the Backward Classes. The Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers, MPs and MLAs, who staged a dharna at Jantar Mantar, have sought an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu.However, they have not rece…

BJP backs PM Modi’s China visit; Oppn questions outcomes

By

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, the BJP on Thursday welcomed the move as a diplomatic necessity to maintain stable relations with India’s neighbours, while the Opposition has raised questions about its purpose and potential benefits. Speaking to IANS, BJP MP Ghulam Ali Khatana said, “China is our neighbouring country, and it’s important to maint…

TN BJP slams DMK govt over damaged check dam in Tiruchirapalli

By

Chennai, Aug 7 (IANS ) Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran has strongly criticised the DMK government for its alleged negligence in repairing a damaged check dam near Alagiri Puram in Tiruchirapalli district. The check dam, constructed across the Kollidam river at an estimated cost of Rs 7 crore last year, has been damaged and left unattended, leading to significant hardship for local farmers.In a statement issued on Thursday, Nagendran said that the state government’s “apathy” has resulte…