Hyderabad, Aug 7 (IANS) As the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre appears in no mood to give assent to Telangana Bills to enhance reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) to 42 per cent, the ruling Congress party is exploring alternate options to implement the quota in the upcoming local body elections. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday stated this during an informal chat with media persons in New Delhi, where he is campaigning with his Cabinet, party MPs and state legislators for thre…

Chennai, Aug 7 (IANS) Tirupur’s garment exporters have expressed deep concern over the US’ recent decision to impose an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, effectively increasing the total export duty to 50 per cent. Industry leaders fear that this move could severely dent the export potential of India’s knitwear hub, with projected losses estimated at around Rs 12,000 crore. K.M. Subramanian, President of the Tirupur Exporters’ Association (TEA), said the sharp increase in duties wil…

Chennai, Aug 7 (IANS) The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Tamil Nadu police to ensure adequate protection for theatres screening the Vijay Deverakonda-starrer Kingdom, in response to threats and disruptions reportedly orchestrated by members of Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK). Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy issued the directive while disposing of a writ petition filed by SSI Production, which holds the theatrical distribution rights for the film in Tamil Nadu. The petitioner alleged that …

Bhopal, Aug 7 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday released the monthly installment of cash incentive provided to eligible women beneficiaries under the much-talked ‘Ladli Behna Yojana’ in Madhya Pradesh. Chief Minister Yadav digitally transferred the amount of Rs 1, 250 into the bank accounts of more than 1.26 crore women beneficiaries of this scheme during an event in Rajgarh district on Thursday. As the festival of Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated on August 9, the…

Hyderabad, Aug 7 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and the Congress government of deceiving the Backward Classes (BCs) and indulging in non-stop political theatrics. Welcoming new leaders and cadre from the Parigi constituency into the BRS at Telangana Bhavan, he strongly criticised the Congress’ handling of BC reservations and its governance “failures”.KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, alleged that the Congres…

Patna, Aug 7 (IANS) Hundreds of students poured onto the streets of Patna on Thursday, demanding the immediate conduct of the Secondary Teacher Eligibility Test (STET) before the upcoming TRE 4 recruitment. The protest saw a massive turnout, with students marching from various coaching hubs towards Dak Bungalow Crossing, leading to significant traffic disruption in the heart of the city.The students’ primary demand is that the STET exam – pending for the last two years – be held before the TRE 4…

Raipur, Aug 7 (IANS) Security forces in Chhattisgarh have scored a major breakthrough with the arrest of a top Maoist commander following a prolonged gun-battle in the dense forests of Khursekala, under Madanwada police station in the newly formed Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district, an official said. The arrested Maoist, identified as Shrikant Punem, is a senior member of the DVC (Divisional Committee) and commander of the Aundhi-Mohla Joint Area Committee. He carried a bounty of Rs 8 lakh on…

New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Thursday unanimously authorised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President J.P. Nadda to select the coalition’s candidate for the Vice Presidential election, scheduled for September 9.The decision was taken during a meeting of the NDA parliamentary party floor leaders, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by senior leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, and Health Minister Nadda, who is also the Leader o…

Bengaluru, Aug 7 (IANS) The Dharmasthala temple family has approached the Supreme Court challenging the quashing of a restraining order against a YouTube channel accused of telecasting defamatory content related to the mass grave case. The matter is scheduled to be heard on Friday (August 8) by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai, along with Justices S.C. Sharma and K. Vinod Chandran.Harshendra Kumar D., Secretary of the Dharmasthala Temple Institution and brother of BJP Ra…

Chitrakoot, Aug 7 (IANS) Noted Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya spoke to IANS on Thursday on a host of issues, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s questioning of the success of Operation Sindoor, as well as SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav’s repeated utterances on Kathavachaks (narrators of Hindu mythology). Jagadguru Rambhadracharya took a dig at Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi for raising questions on Operation Sindoor and said that his statements are “unfortunate” and “chi…