Patna, Aug 8 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Friday, laid the foundation stone for the grand redevelopment of the historic Janaki Temple at Punaura Dham in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, believed to be the birthplace of Goddess Sita. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, several Union Ministers, and other dignitaries attended the event.Before the ceremony, Union Minister Shah offered prayers at the temple.The Bihar Cabinet had approved the Rs 882.87 crore project on July 1, aimed at the integrated …

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the construction of a 4-lane highway from Marakkanam to Puducherry in Tamil Nadu, stretching across a length of 46 km. The project will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a total capital cost of Rs 2,157 crore.Currently, connectivity between Chennai, Puducherry, Viluppuram, and Nagapattinam is dependent on the existing 2-lane National Highway 332A (NH-332A) and…

Chandigarh, Aug 8 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday jointly launched 24 sector-wise industrial advisory committees, a step to establish the state a hub of industry and commerce. Addressing the gathering during the launch of this first-of-its-kind initiative, Kejriwal termed it a historic day for Punjab. He said the era prior to 2022 was dominated by extortion, where industrialists were coerced by political leaders to …

Bhopal, Aug 8 (IANS) In a striking act of civic dissent, passersby at a busy Bhopal square turned their frustration into a chorus of honking as Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s convoy passed through. The protest – peaceful yet piercing – was captured on video and quickly went viral across social media platforms, amplifying public outrage against India’s entrenched VIP culture.The convoy, reportedly comprising over 18 vehicles and flanked by a platoon of police, brought traffic and daily life to …

Bengaluru, Aug 8 (IANS) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, on Friday, appealed to party leaders and workers to intensify a ‘do or die’ movement — modeled on Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India Movement — to bring down the NDA government at the Centre. Addressing a large gathering at Freedom Park in Bengaluru during a protest against alleged election fraud, Kharge said, “Rahul Gandhi has already clearly explained how, in 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister through electoral…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) As many as 725 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including 392 exclusive POCSO (ePOCSO) Courts, have collectively disposed of 3.34 lakh cases till June 30, since their inception in 2019, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, in a written reply, said that the government has released Rs 1,034.55 crore to the States/UTs since the Nirbhaya Fund’s inception to ensure the smooth functioning of FTSCs….

Hyderabad, Aug 8 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday alleged that former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao tapped the phones of his daughter K. Kavitha, son-in-law Anil Kumar and nephew and then minister T. Harish Rao.He claimed that the phones of politicians were tapped in the name of Maoists during the rule of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and that thousands of crores were looted through phone-tapping.Bandi Sanjay appeared before Special Inve…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, the Narcotics team of Delhi Police’s North-West District arrested two drug peddlers and recovered 1.081 kg of fine quality opium from their possession. The arrests were made near Gate No. 5, Azadpur Mandi, following a specific tip-off. The accused have been identified as Ranjeet (25) and Rajesh Singh (21), both residents of Nathupur in Gurugram, Haryana. Along with the contraband, police also seized a motorcycle allegedly used i…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) The Income Tax Bill, 2025, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on February 13 to replace the existing Income Tax Act, 1961, has been formally withdrawn, sources said on Friday.A new version of the Income Tax Bill, incorporating most of the recommendations made by the Select Committee chaired by BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda, will be introduced in Parliament on Monday, according to people in the know.To avoid confusion by multiple versions of the Bill and to provide a clear…

Kochi, Aug 8 (IANS) The carcasses of five wild elephants, including a calf and a pregnant female, have been recovered from three forest divisions in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, following days of intense rainfall and flooding in the region.Two tuskers were found dead on Thursday in the Kuttampuzha forest range, which falls under the Malayattoor division, about 50 km from Kochi. Their bodies were spotted in the Pooyamkutty River near Kuttampuzha panchayat.According to forest officials, both ele…